Chinaberry trees: A guide

Chinaberry tree

Synonym(s): Melia azedarach var. umbraculifera
Family: Meliaceae (Mahogany Family)
Duration and Habit: Perennial Tree

Description

Deciduous tree to 50 feet (15 m) in height and 2 feet (60 cm) in diameter, much branched with multiple boles, lacy dark-green leaves having a musky odor, and clusters of lavender flowers in spring yielding persistent, poisonous yellow berries.

Native Lookalikes: Currently no information available here yet, or there are no native Texas species that could be confused with Chinaberry tree.

Ecological Threat: Chinaberry outcompetes native vegetation due to its high relative resistance to insects and pathogens. Its leaf litter raises soil pH, thus altering soil conditions for native plants and seed germination. Chinaberry is a very fast growing tree that reaches 18 – 24 feet in height in 4 – 5 years. May reach 50 – 60 feet in total height.

Biology & Spread: Reproduces on-site primarily from root sprouts, and over longer distances via bird-dispersed seeds. Reproductively mature when it reaches the size of a shrub. Flowers in the spring, fruits in the summer. Fruit remain on the tree past leaf fall.

History: Introduced in the mid-1800s from Asia. Widely planted as a traditional ornamental around homesites. Extracts potentially useful for natural pesticides.

U.S. Habitat: Common on roadsides, at forest margins, and around old homesites but rare at high elevations. Semishade tolerant. Forms colonies from root sprouts or sprouts from root collars, and spreads by bird-dispersed abundant seeds.

Distribution

U.S. Nativity: Introduced to U.S.

Native Origin: Himalayas (NatureServe Explorer); Asia (Bailey, L.H. and E.Z. Bailey, Hortus Third: A Concise Dictionary of Plants Cultivated in the United States and Canada, MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., New York , (1977).)

U.S. Present: AL, AR, AZ, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MO, MS, NC, NM, NY, OK, PR, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VI

Distribution in Texas: Located across the entire southern contiguous United States including Texas, plus Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Extends as far north as New York. Present in the Lower Galveston Bay watershed in Harris and Galveston counties.

Mapping

Invaders of Texas Map: Melia azedarach
EDDMapS: Melia azedarach
USDA Plants Texas County Map: Melia azedarach