The chinaberry (Melia azedarach), also called “cinamomo” or “árbol del paraíso” in Spanish, is a deciduous tree of Asian origin with a broad, umbrella-shaped crown and highly fragrant lilac flowers.
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Division | Magnoliophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Sapindales |
| Family | Meliaceae |
| Genus | Chinaberry |
| Species | Melia azedarach |
The chinaberry is a medium-sized deciduous tree, 8 to 15 metres tall, with an umbrella-shaped crown 4 to 8 metres in diameter. Its leaves are compound and imparipinnate, 15 to 45 cm long, and its purple or lilac flowers are grouped in highly fragrant terminal panicles.
The fruit is a globose drupe 1 cm in diameter, green and pale yellow when ripe. Although showy, it is toxic to humans, yet curiously it does not affect some birds, which include it in their diet.
It is native to the foothills of the Himalayas, where it grows up to 3,000 m above sea level. It spread from Asia in the mid-19th century as an ornamental to South Africa and the Americas, where it has become widely naturalised.
The stones of its seeds, which are easy to pierce, are traditionally used to make rosary beads. Its fruits are so toxic that a small amount can kill an adult mammal; in Spanish it is also known as cinamomo, agriaz, piocha or paraíso sombrilla.
