MELIACEAE

Melia azedarach

Common Name:  Chinaberry

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Melia azedarach leaf3.jpg (92032 bytes) Melia azedarach branchleaves.jpg (96204 bytes)
leaf--what kind of compond leaf is present here? branch--what kind of leaf arrangement is present here?

Melia azedarach habit4.jpg (63011 bytes)

Melia azedarach youngfruits2.jpg (98843 bytes)
habit--chinaberries are fast-growing trees (and thus have weak wood) young fruits

Melia azedarach fruits.jpg (40671 bytes)

Melia azedarach fruitscloseup.jpg (32359 bytes)
mature fruits (drupes--if you have a chinaberry in your lawn, you know how messy these get when they fall from the tree in the spring!) mature fruits closeup

Melia azedarach newflower.jpg (17810 bytes)

Melia azedarach oldflower.jpg (25565 bytes)
young flower in Spring--there are 5 petals.   The tube-like structure that appears to surround the stamens is actually composed of filament tissue (in other words, the tube is actually part of the stamen itself).  The filament tube starts out purple when the flower is new... ...but turns black with age (notice that the petals do not change color).

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