Melia azedarach L.
Vernacular name: Bakain, Persian lilac, Chinaberry (Hindi: बकैन)
Species Name: Melia azedarach L.
Family: Meliaceae
Habit: Deciduous tree
Stem: Spreading rounded crown 7–12 m tall, furrowed dark brown bark with lighter spots.
Leaf: Alternate, bipinnate 30–50 cm long, 5–13 pairs of lanceolate leaflets 2–5 × 1–2 cm, serrate, glabrous, glossy green.
Flowering: Spring–early summer.
Flowers: Large panicles; calyx 5-toothed, 1 mm; 5 lilac-purple petals 5–7 mm, ovate; 10 stamens (anthers connate into a tube); superior ovary 3–5 locular with 3–5 styles.
Fruit: Drupe, ovoid 1–2 cm, smooth yellow, maturing tan, with a 5-grooved pyrene seed.
Uses:
- Leaves, bark and fruits have medicinal prorperties: febrifuge, anthelmintic, insecticidal.
- Fruits are toxic to humans and animals.
- Timber used for furniture, plywood, tool handles; fast-growing shade tree.
- Persian import to India; “tree of paradise”; beads/rosaries from seeds.
