Bead Tree, Pride of India, Chinaberry
Melia azederach

Family: Meliaceae

What it is like

Bloom Color: Lavender. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Rounded.

Melia azederach is a deciduous Tree growing to 9 m (29ft) by 9 m (29ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9. It is in flower in June, and the seeds ripen from October to November. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Height (m): 9

Where it is found

Moist sunny locations to 2700 metres in the Himalayas.

E. Asia - N. India to China. Naturalized in the Mediterranean.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Algeria, America, Andamans, Angola, Arabia, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bermuda, Bhutan, Botswana, Brazil, Britain, Burma, Central Africa, Central America, China, Colombia, Congo, Cook Island, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Europe, Fiji, France, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Martinique, Mediterranean, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, Nigeria, Norfolk Island, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Reunion, SE Asia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad-Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, USA, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Leaves - cooked. A bitter flavour, they are used as a pot-herb, in curries, soups etc. Fruit. A sweetish flavour, it is eaten by children though some people believe it to be poisonous. The fruit is between 1 and 5cm in diameter and contains a single seed. Both these reports, of edible leaves and fruits, should be treated with some caution. The fruit is poisonous according to one report where it says that the ripe fruit is more poisonous than the green fruit and that they have sometimes caused human fatalities. A cooling drink is made from the sap - it is actually a gum. This gum is tasteless, clear to dark amber and of good solubility. The sap is obtained from incisions that are made near the base of the trunk in the spring.

Oil: Oil

Drink: not including plant saps, tea or coffee substitutes.

Gum: can be chewed as a chewing gum or can often be used as a sweetener or thickening agent in foods.

Medicine

Rating: 3

Used externally in the treatment of rheumatism. An aqueous extract reduces the intensity of asthmatic attacks. (This report does not specify the part of the plant that is used.) The leaf juice is anthelmintic, antilithic, diuretic and emmenagogue. A decoction is astringent and stomachic. The leaves are harvested during the growing season and can be used fresh or dried. The flowers and leaves are applied as a poultice in the treatment of neuralgia and nervous headache. The stem bark is anthelmintic, astringent and bitter tonic. It is used as a tonic in India. It can be harvested at any time of the year and is used fresh or dried. The fruit is antiseptic and febrifuge. The pulp is used as a vermifuge. The fruit is harvested in the autumn when it is fully ripe and can be used fresh or dried. The seed is antirheumatic. It is used externally. The root bark is emetic, emmenagogue, purgative and vermifuge. It is highly effective against ringworm and other parasitic skin diseases. It can be harvested at any time of the year and is used fresh or dried. A gum that exudes from the tree is considered by some to have aphrodisiac properties. This plant should be used with caution, preferably under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. Excess causes diarrhoea, vomiting and symptoms of narcotic poisoning.

Anthelmintic: Expels parasites from the gut.

Antiasthmatic: Treats asthma.

Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.

Antiseptic: Preventing sepsis, decay or putrefaction, it destroys or arrests the growth of micro-organisms.

Aphrodisiac: Increases the sexual appetite.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Bitter: Increases the appetite and stimulates digestion by acting on the mucous membranes of the mouth. Also increases the flow of bile, stimulates repair of the gut wall lining and regulates the secretion of insulin and glucogen.

Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.

Emetic: Induces vomiting.

Emmenagogue: Promotes or increases the menstrual flow. In early stages of pregnancy it can induce an abortion.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Laxative: Stimulates bowel movements in a fairly gentle manner.

Lithontripic: Removes stones from the kidney, bladder etc.

Parasiticide: Treats external parasites such as ringworm This should perhaps be joined with Parasiticide in

Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Purgative: A drastic laxative causing a cleansing or watery evacuation of the bowels, usually with a griping pain.

Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.

Stomachic: Aids and improves the action of the stomach.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Vermifuge: Expels and kills internal parasites.

Other

Rating: 4

The seed contains up to 40% of a drying oil. It is used for lighting, varnish etc. The musk-scented seeds are used as beads in rosaries. The fruits are a source of a flea powder and an insecticide. The whole fruit is ground up and used. The fruit pulp is also used as an insect repellent. The leaves repel mosquitoes and other insects. Wood - tough, durable, moderately heavy, somewhat brittle, handsomely marked, takes an excellent polish. It has a musk-like aroma. It is used for making furniture, packing cases etc. Because it is fast-growing, it is often used as a fuel.

Beads: Used as necklaces etc.

Biomass: Provides a large quantity of plant material that can be converted into fuel etc.

Containers: Plants, such as gourds, that can be used as containers. Does not include baskets or containers made from wood.

Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.

Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.

Gum: Gums have a wide range of uses, especially as stabilizers, emulsifiers, thickening agents, adhesives etc.

Insecticide: Kills insects.

Lighting: Plants that can be used as torches etc. See also Oil and Wax.

Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.

Parasiticide: Kills external body parasites such as hair lice.

Repellent: Plants that are said to deter but not necessarily kill various mammals, birds, insects etc.

Varnish: Plants that can be used as a varnish without any special treatment. Does not include varnishes made from oils etc.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Industrial Crop: Biomass: Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels

Industrial Crop: Oil: Materials, chemicals and energy include bioplastics, biomass, glycerin, soaps, lubricants, paints, biodiesel. Oilseed crop types.

Industrial Crop: Pesticide: Many plants provide natural pesticides.

Management: Coppice: Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Minor Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.

Industrial Crop: Biomass: Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels

Industrial Crop: Oil: Materials, chemicals and energy include bioplastics, biomass, glycerin, soaps, lubricants, paints, biodiesel. Oilseed crop types.

Industrial Crop: Pesticide: Many plants provide natural pesticides.

Management: Coppice: Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Minor Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

Coppice: A traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent

How it is grown

Requires a sunny sheltered position. Succeeds in most well-drained soils and in hot dry conditions. Likes sandy soils. Grows well in mild coastal areas. A very ornamental tree, it is not very cold tolerant being killed by temperatures lower than about -5°c. It only succeeds outdoors in the mildest areas of Britain, seldom growing larger than a shrub. It is hardy on a sunny wall in S.W. England. It is often cultivated in warmer regions than Britain for its many useful qualities. The flowers are produced on the current years wood and have a delicate sweet perfume. The trees do not normally require pruning. The seeds have a strong scent of musk and the wood is also musk-scented. Trees are very susceptible to forest fire, though they sprout back readily from the roots. They are planted for re-afforestation in their native areas, where they are fast growing though short-lived. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. Special Features:Not North American native, Invasive, Naturalizing, All or parts of this plant are poisonous, Fragrant flowers, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms.

Propagating it: Seed - sow late winter in a greenhouse. The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn. The seed usually germinates well. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Root cuttings.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; South Wall. By. West Wall. By.

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 7-12

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

The fruit is somewhat poisonous. Ripe fruits are more toxic than green ones. As little as six fruits have caused fatalities in children. All parts of the plant contain toxins that can cause gastric tract irritation and degeneration of the liver and kidneys.

Its other names

Local names

Bead Tree, Chinaberry, Abori esing, Arebevu, Bakain, Bakaina, Bakam limbodo, Bitter lian, Chinaberry, Deikna, Dieng-jah-rasang, Drek, False sycamore, Ghoraneem, Ghoranim, Gringging, Hutchu bevu, Indian lilac, Karinvembu, Ku lian pi, Lian, Lien, Mahanim, Mahanimba, Malai vembu, Mindi kecil, Mindi, Neemtita, Padrai, Paraiso, Pejri, Persian lilac, Pride of India, Sima veppu, Thamaga, Turaka vepa, White cedar, cape lilac, ceylon cedar, china tree, chuan lian zi, cortex meliae, ku lian pi, lian, lunumidella, marimara, sichuan pagoda tree, szechwan chinaberry, texas umbrella, white cedar,

Synonyms

M. japonica.