Chinaberry is a deciduous tree native to a wide area from India through China to Australia. It has naturalized throughout warm-temperate regions and the tropics. It is considered invasive in North Carolina and elsewhere in the Southeast. It is a member of the neem family (Meliaceae). The specific epithet is derived from the French 'azédarac,' which in turn is from the Persian 'āzād dirakht' meaning 'noble tree.' Chinaberry has been used as an ornamental plant, shade tree and fuelwood. Unfortunately, chinaberry has all the qualities of a successful weed. This plant is adaptable to many environmental conditions, is virtually disease-free and thrives in disturbed areas. As an invasive species in North Carolina, it is found at the edges of roads, in openings in forests, and in thickets and fields all across the state except western areas. It has a rounded crown with stiff coarse branches. The trees tolerate a wide range of soil types. Several cultivars have been developed. Unfortunately, the cultivars have many of the weedy, aggressive tendencies of the species and are not recommended for any garden. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Weedy and listed as invasive in many southern states and by the NC Invasive Plant Council.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in. | Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are alternate and twice-pinnately (bipinnately) divided with toothed, pointed leaflets. The leaves are 12 to 24 inches long. These leaves have a yellow fall color. The leaflets are up to 2.75 inches long. The undersurface is lighter than the top
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Fragrant
Flower form
Panicle
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
In spring, fragrant, lilac-like flowers are produced in leaf axils. Lavender-lilac flowers are small but numerous on 8- to 16-inch panicles. The flowers have a chocolate fragrance.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
The 0.4-to-0.5-inch fruits are mucilaginous, wrinkled drupes that are sticky, with hard, round, marble-like seeds. Yellow to yellow-green, they are formed after flowering and can persist after leaf drop in the fall and through the winter to spring.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Light Brown; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
The bark is a different color from the stems and is usually a dark brown with lighter spots on mature trees and reddish spots on younger trees. The bark has narrow furrows that give it a stripe-like appearance.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Green; Purple/Lavender
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Asia
Distribution
Southern USA
Wildlife value
Fruit eaten by birds and may attract hummingbirds
Play value
Wildlife Food Source
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall; Spring; Winter
Fruit type
Drupe
Uses (ethnobotany)
Used as a fuel source
Landscape Use
Garden tags
#invasive #deciduous #purple #poisonous #purple flowers #lilac flowers #small flowers #summer flowers #full sun tolerant #yellow fruits #fast growing #problem for cats #weak wood #disturbed areas #high maintenance #problem for dogs #problem for horses #weedy #HS111 #HS303 #thicket
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Red Shouldered Bug or Golden Rain Tree Bug; Greedy Scale Insect; Citrus Whitefly; White Peach Scale Insect
Other problems
Invasive Plants and Your Forests
Problems
Invasive Species; Messy; Poisonous to Humans; Problem for Cats; Problem for Children; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses; Weedy
TOXIC ONLY IF LARGE QUANTITIES EATEN. Fruit and tea from leaves-- are poisonous to humans, some livestock, and mammals, including cats and dogs. Poisonous through ingestion. Symptoms post-consumption include stomach irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, irregular breathing, depression, weakness, salivation, seizures, respiratory distress, breathing difficulty or paralysis. Some birds and livestock are not affected.
Toxic principle
Tetranortriterpene neurotoxins; also possibly a saponin