Chinaberry
Melia azedarach
A fast, short-lived pioneer that throws quick shade and mulch, with a neem-like insect-repelling reputation. Handy for early succession, but its berries are toxic and it self-seeds aggressively, becoming weedy if left…
Tolerances & traits
- Strata
- High
- Lifecycle
- Placenta
- Soil preference
- Loam, Sandy, Clay
- Soil pH range
- 5.5 – 8.5
- Min. temperature
- -9°C
- Min. rainfall
- 400 mm/year
- Wind tolerance
- Low
- Frost tolerance
- Medium
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Irrigation needed
- Low
How to manage it
Coppices and pollards readily for quick mulch; self-seeds freely, so remove unwanted seedlings and manage spread actively.
Watch out for
Berries and leaves are toxic to humans and most livestock (poultry, pigs, horses) - keep away from grazing animals and children. Also classified as invasive/weedy in many warm regions; corrected strata (High, not Emergent) and lifecycle (Placenta pioneer, not Climax) - it's short-lived (~20 years) with brittle wood prone to wind damage.
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