Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Melia azedarach - Bead Tree
Edible Portion: Fruit (Poisonous), Gum, Leaves, Flowers, Vegetable
A moderate sized tree. It grows 6-16 m high. It can spread 3-12 m wide. The trunk is round and the branches spread out widely. The bark is greyish-brown. The bark has long shallow cracks along the length. The leaves are alternate. They are twice divided and bright green. The leaflets are sword shaped and have teeth along the edge. They are 7-8 cm long by 2 cm wide. The leaf base has unequal sides. The flowers are lilac and have a honey scent. The occur in long open clusters in the axils of leaves. These are about 18-20 cm long. The fruit is fleshy and round. It is about 1-1.5 cm across. It is smooth and yellow. There are 4 tiny seeds in a very hard shell.