Melia azedarach

Melia azedarach has accumulated 66 synonyms.
In some parts of Australia it is known as Melia azedarach var. australasica but this is generally regarded as a synonym.

In Family Meliaceae White cedar or Chinaberry tree is native to S.E. Asia and Australia.
In Australia they occur down the east coast of Queensland and into New South Wales.
Naturalised in many other areas of Australia it is becoming invasive in some.
Melia azedarach produces a lot of seed and can become the dominent tree in disturbed areas.

The deciduous trees can grow to 30 or 35 m but most are seen as a small shrub or a tree up to around 15 m.
They have a rounded crown and greyish brown bark with vertical fissures.
Young stems and leaves have dense simple or stellate hairs that rub off easily.
Slightly older branches have lenticels (nodules).

Alternate leaves, in a spiral are twice divided (bi-pinnate).
Leaves are up to around 40 cm long including a petiole up to 15 cm.
The swollen petiole base has a depression that, on young plants has 2 glands (nectaries).

There are opposite pairs of side branches or pinnae along the midrib.
These pinnae have 3 to around 11 leaflets that are on petiolules a few mms long.
The single terminal leaflet is larger and on a longer petiolule.
Leaflets, up to around 6 cm long and 2 cm wide have a long tapering pointed tip.
The ovate, elliptic or lance-shaped leaflets have a smooth, toothed or lobed edge.
The base is typically asymmetric or oblique.

Young leaves have dense white or brown stellate hairs that are gradually lost
Adult leaves often have a few hairs mainly on the veins on the lower surface.

Axillary inflorescenses are panicles up to 20 cm long.
On each branch the terminal flower opens first (cymes).
Bisexual flowers are on a pedicel 3 mm long and there are 1 to 2 mm bracts.
Midrib, branches and pedicles all have dense stellate hairs that rub off.

The 2 to 3 mm long calyx has a very short basal tube with 5 (6) hairy lobes.
The 5 narrowly oblong petals are up to around 10 mm long and 3 mm wide.
The spreading petals can be white, pink or mauve.
There are a few simple hairs on the outer surface and tiny cilia on the edges.

There are (8) 10 stamens with their filaments fused into a tube around 7 mm long.
The dark purple tube has dense hairs on the inner surface mainly towards the top.
The inwards opening anthers are on the inner surface just below the rim.

On the rim of the staminal tube are 10 (12) appendges around 1 mm long.
The narrowly elliptic or triangular lobes alternate with the anthers.
The tip of each appendage has up to 4 tiny teeth.
Inside the stamens is an annular nectary disc with a lobed upper surface.

The superior ovary, of 5 (to 8) carpels has as many locules.
Each locule has 2 ovules with the upper one erect and the lower pendulous.
The stout style, around 4 mm long has 5 or more stigma lobes that curve inwards.

Drupe-like fruit, around 2 cm long and 1 to 1.5 cm wide ripen from green to yellow.
Each of the 5 to 8 chambers usually only have 1 developed seed.
Fruit stay on the tree for months.
The flattened oblong seeds around 6 mm long have a hard bony covering.

J.F.