Melia azedarach L.

Spice Fruit In the field

Family: MELIACEAE

Genus: Melia

Catalan common name: Cinamon. Mèlia.

Spanish common name: Acederaque. Alelí. Árbol de rosarios. Cinamono. Fruto del paraíso. Melia. Mirabobo.

Province distribution: Balearic Islands.

Distribution in the islands: Mallorca. Menorca. Ibiza.

General distribution (Phytogeography): Asia

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Phanerophyte.

Habitats: Garden plants. Urban gardens.

Characteristics: A tree which can reach 15m in height, native of the Himalayas, which has spread throughout the gardens and roads of the whole world, it is also planted along roadsides. It has composite leaves with irregularly dentate leaflets; the leaves fall in winter. The flowers are very eye-catching, lilac and with a violet crown surrounding the stamens. They appear in large panicles of around twenty centimetres, which have a nice smell. The fruits are also very characteristic: they are like small, yellowish-brown balls. It is a plant with many medicinal and traditional uses, but we must be careful because it is toxic too and it is very frequent in towns.