North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Melia azedarach

Melia azedarach L.

carolina mahogany, chinaberry, chinaberrytree, pride-of-india

Synonym(s): Melia azedarach var. umbraculifera

Image ID: 15646
Image by: Sorrie, Bruce A.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: MEAZ
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Melia azedarach
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2020-01-01

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: MELIA
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Melia
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Melia
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of 3 species, trees, of the Old World tropics.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Mabberley in Kubitzki (2011); Miller (1990)=Z.

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: MELIAC
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Meliaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Mahogany Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 50 genera and 565-575 species, trees and shrubs, of tropical and subtropical areas. The only native member of the family in e. North America is Swietenia mahogani (Linnaeus) Jacquin (West Indian Mahogany), a very valuable timber tree which ranges north to s. FL.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Mabberley in Kubitzki (2011).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO:
STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT:

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Shrub, Tree

LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
LEAF COMPLEXITY:
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: Apr-May

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
		x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR:

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
								x

FRUITING PERIOD: Sep-Oct.

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE:
NATIVE RANGE: southeastern Asia

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
929	1985-0615			View
2306	1986-2139			View
2307	1986-2140			View
5356	1995-0478			View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
1717	929	198	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
3989	2306	83	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
7829	5356	203	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: MEAZ
USDA Common Name: Chinaberrytree
Native Status: L48 (I), HI (I), PR (I), VI (I)
Distribution: USA (, AL, AR, AZ, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MO, MS, NC, NM, NY, OK, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA), USA+ (PR, VI)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Tree, Shrub

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	UPL		UPL	UPL	UPL	FACU	FACU	FACU	FACU	FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Melia azedarach
COMMON NAME: Chinaberry, Carolina Mahogany, Umbrella-tree, Pride-of-India, "White Cedar," "Persian Lilac."
SYNONYMY: [= C, F, G, K, RAB, S, Va, WH3, Z]
PHENOLOGY: Apr-May; Sep-Oct.
HABITAT: Disturbed areas, abandoned rural yards and fields; native to se. Asia (Indomalesia), commonly cultivated in our area (mainly in the Coastal Plain) and commonly escaped.
COMMENTS: The fruits are sometimes used as beads; they are very poisonous if ingested.
RANGE MAP: Melia azedarach.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Meliaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Mahogany Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 50 genera and 565-575 species, trees and shrubs, of tropical and subtropical areas. The only native member of the family in e. North America is Swietenia mahogani (Linnaeus) Jacquin (West Indian Mahogany), a very valuable timber tree which ranges north to s. FL.
REFERENCE: Mabberley in Kubitzki (2011).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Melia L. (Melia)
SUMMARY: A genus of 3 species, trees, of the Old World tropics.
REFERENCE: Mabberley in Kubitzki (2011); Miller (1990)=Z.

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Melia azedarach in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Melia azedarach in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Melia azedarach in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Melia azedarach in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Melia azedarach in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Melia azedarach

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 15646 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 15646 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 15647 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 0 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)