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Melia azedarach
Meliaceae FAMILY

Melia azedarach

Melia azedarach

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
4/5

Safety & Hazards

The fruit is highly toxic to warm-blooded animals[1]. Ripe fruits are more toxic than green ones[2]. As little as six fruits have caused nausea, spasms and fatalities in children[3, 1]. All parts of the plant contain toxins that can cause gastric tract irritation and degeneration of the liver and kidneys[3].

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
GrowthFast

Melia azadarach is a tree of the subtropical climatic zone, though it is a highly adaptable plant that can tolerate a wide range of conditions from warm temperate with some frost, right through to the humid tropics[1]. It is grown at elevations up to 1,800 metres in the tropics[1]. It can tolerate a mean maximum temperature in the hottest month of 39°c, with temperatures sometimes falling below freezing for short periods in the cool season[1]. In general, trees will be killed by temperatures falling lower than about -5°c[4]. It can succeed with an annual rainfall as low as 600mm, competing best in areas that receive less than 900mm[1, 5]. Prefers a well-drained soil in a sunny or partially shaded position[6]. Succeeds in most well-drained soils and in hot dry conditions[7]. Likes sandy soils[8]. Tolerant of quite poor growing conditions, including shallow soils, saline and strongly alkaline soils, poor, marginal, sloping, and stony land, even in crevices in sheer rock[1]. It does not like very acid soils[1]. Grows well in mild coastal areas[8]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[1, 9]. Trees can commence flowering when only 5 - 6 years old from seed. In the warmer, non-seasonal areas it can flower and fruit all year round[5]. Trees are fast-growing, but can be quite short-lived, often dying by the time they are 20 years old[10]. The flowers are produced on the current years wood and have a delicate sweet perfume[11, 12]. The trees do not normally require pruning[13]. The seeds have a strong scent of musk and the wood is also musk-scented[12]. Trees are very susceptible to forest fire, though they sprout back readily from the roots[14]. Plants do not coppice well from large stumps, but excellent coppice is obtained from trees up to a girth of 0.9 m. The tree resprouts after cutting and regrows after pollarding, making it suitable for pole production[1]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[7].

Propagation

Seed - sow late winter in a greenhouse. The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn[8, 15]. 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[16]. Root cuttings[17]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Melia+azedarach>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

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  3. [3]Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas — Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J · Botanical Research Institute, Texas. · 1999 · http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm · ISBN 1-889878-01-4 ↩︎An excellent flora, which is also available on-line.
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