Chinaberry (Invasive Exotic Plants of North Carolina)

Chinaberry

Melia azedarach

Summary ⁷

Melia azedarach, commonly known by many names, including white cedar,chinaberry tree,bead-tree, Cape lilac,syringa berrytree,Persian lilac, and Indian lilac, is a species of deciduous tree in the mahogany family, Meliaceae, that is native to Indomalaya and Australasia. The genus Melia includes four other species, occurring from southeast Asia to northern Australia. They are all deciduous or semi-evergreen trees.

As invasive species ⁸

The plant was introduced around 1830 as an ornamental in the United States (South Carolina and Georgia) and widely planted in southern states. Today it is considered an invasive species by some groups as far north as Virginia and Oklahoma. But nurseries continue to sell the trees, and seeds are also widely available. It has become naturalized to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Americas and is planted in similar climates around the world. Besides the problem of toxicity, its usefulness as a shade tree in the United States is diminished by its tendency to sprout where unwanted and to turn sidewalks into dangerously slippery surfaces when the fruits fall, though this is not a problem where songbird populations are in good shape. As noted above, the possibility of commercially profitable harvesting of feral stands remains largely unexplored.

Toxicity ⁸

Fruits are poisonous to humans if eaten in quantity. However, like those of the yew tree, these toxins are not harmful to birds, who gorge themselves on the fruit, eventually reaching a "drunken" state. The birds that are able to eat the fruit spread the seeds in their droppings. The toxins are neurotoxins and unidentified resins, found mainly in the fruits. The first symptoms of poisoning appear a few hours after ingestion. They may include loss of appetite, vomiting, constipation or diarrhea, bloody faeces, stomach pain, pulmonary congestion, cardiac arrest, rigidity, lack of coordination and general weakness. Death may take place after about 24 hours. Like in relatives, tetranortriterpenoids constitute an important toxic principle. These are chemically related to azadirachtin, the primary insecticidal compound in the commercially important neem oil. These compounds are probably related to the wood and seed's resistance to pest infestation, and maybe to the unattractiveness of the flowers to animals.

Leaves have been used as a natural insecticide to keep with stored food, but must not be eaten as they are highly poisonous. Chinaberry fruit was used to prevent insect larvae from growing in the fruit. By placing the berries in drying apples (etc.) and keeping the fruit turned in the sun without damaging any of the chinaberry skin, the fruit will dry and not have insect larvae in the dried apples.

A diluted infusion of leaves and trees has been used in the past to induce uterus relaxation.

Sources and Credits

(c) Scott Loarie, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3676/13850406684_069ab7d01e_o.jpg
(c) Sam Kieschnick, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Sam Kieschnick
(c) Linda Jo Conn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Linda Jo Conn
(c) Paolo, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://www.flickr.com/photos/27273988@N00/477068531
(c) Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/images/13/133520-5.jpg
(c) Michael P. Riggs, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Michael P. Riggs
Adapted by Kate Wagner from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melia_azedarach
(c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melia_azedarach

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Chinaberry

Summary 7

As invasive species 8

Toxicity 8