Melia azedarach "White Cedar" - Plant Profiles

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Melia azedarach

Scientific Name	Melia azedarach
Categories	Tree
Common Name(s)	White Cedar
Family	Meliaceae

Description

"Deciduous tree to 40 m tall; bole to at least 60 cm diam.; bark fissured and scaling with age;"(Flora of Australia)

Notes

Melia azedarach seed is used in small amounts for rehabilitation and is simply collected. The fruit can be dried and sold or the flesh removed and cleaned down to the inner stones with abrasive-washing techniques. Seed collectors should be aware that cultivated varieties of M. azedarach are present in parts of Australia and these may have weedy properties. Also, "in Australia, both exotic and native plants have become naturalised within and beyond the putative natural distribution of the species" (Flora of Australia). More information may be gained from the links below.

Historical Notes

Melia azedarach has a history of use for timber. Various plant parts such as seed oil, leaves and root-bark are sources of insecticides.

Distribution

"Northern and eastern Australia from the Kimberley region, Western Australia, through the Northern Territory and Queensland S to Milton, New South Wales, but original distribution completely obscured by cultivated and naturalised forms (see below). Certainly naturalised in SW Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and possibly Tasmania." (Flora of Australia)