Click on any image to open the slideshow
Melia azedarach
Chinaberrytree
Not native to Florida
Invasive exotics that have increased in abundance or frequency but have not yet altered Florida plant communities to the extent shown by Category I species.
Planting this species should be avoided and removal of existing plants may be desirable.
This tree, native to Asia, is frequently found in landscapes and escaped from cultivation throughout most of Florida. It is also now found across the southern United States from California to Virginia, plus New York and all the US islands.
The alternate leaves are bi-pinnately compound with odd numbers of both blades and leaflets and 30-61cm (1-2 ft.) long. Leaflets are ovate to elliptic and 2.5-6.3cm (1 to 2-1/2 in.) long. The pale purple of lavender flowers appear on branched panicles in the spring. Fruit is a round yellow fleshy drupe 1-2cm (1/3 to 3/4 in.) in diameter. Chinaberry trees can be 9-12m (30-40 ft.) tall with a spread of up to 8m (25 ft).
Melia azedarach is a member of the Meliaceae - Mahogany family.
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Nov 09, 2020
