68 XXI. MELIACEiE. [Melia. 



+ 2. M. Azedarach, Linn. ; Eoxb. Fl. Ind. ii. 395 ; W. & A. Prodr. 

 117 ; Bedd. Fl. Sylv. t. 14. Boissier Fl. Orient, i. 954. Persian Lilac, 

 Bastard Cedar, Common bead-tree.— V em. Drek, deh, jelc, lakam buJcam, 

 hetain, deikna, Pb., N.W.P. Maha Umbo, malla mm, muhh, C.P. 



Young parts and inflorescence covered with minute stellate hairs. Leaves 

 bipinnate, 9-18 in. long, pinnse opposite or nearly so, with 3, 5, or 7 leaf- 

 lets ; leaflets ovate-lanceolate, shortly petiolulate, ^-1| in. long, acu- 

 minate, more or less deeply serrate, sometimes lobed. Flowers generally 

 pentamerous, lilac, with a strong honey-scent, on slender pedicels, in 

 axillary panicles, shorter than leaf. Calyx deeply cleft; lobes oblong. 

 Petals hnear-spathulate, patent or reflexed. Staminal tube purple, ^ in. 

 long or more, with 20-30 linear teeth, as long as the anthers. Ovary 5- 

 ceUed ;• stigma capitate, 5-sulcate. Drupe ovoid or globose, yellow when 

 ripe, |-| in. diam. ; rind tough ; putamen thick, hard, 5-celled, 5-seeded, 

 or with fewer "cells and seeds by abortion. 



Commonly cultivated throughout India. In the Panjab it replaces the 

 Nim, being rare in the east, and abundant in the centre and west of that pro- 

 vince. Stocks found it wild in Beluchistan, and it is believed to be indigenous 

 in the Lower Himalaya and the Siwalik tract. Generally it is found as a cul- 

 tivated tree, ascending in the Himalaya to 5800 ft. It is commonly cultivated 

 in Afghanistan, Western Asia, South Europe, the West Indies, South America, 

 Australia, China, and the Indian Archipelago. Bare of leaves for 3-4 months 

 in the cold season, in full leaf and bloom from March-May ; very handsome at 

 that time. The bunches of yellow fruit ripen in autumn, and remain on the 

 tree while it is leafless, untouched by animals, except the Bulbul (Madden). 

 In that state the tree presents a curious appearance. Grows readily from seed 

 and cuttings ; does not require much water. Young plants are not touched by 

 rats. Throws up vigorous coppice-shoots when felled ; the roots are shallow, 

 spreading near the surface, and the tree is readily blown over. Rate of growth 

 moderately rapid ; the concentric rings correspond to the age of the tree. 

 Specimens of 6J in., 4^ in., and 4f in. radius, showed respectively 22, 15, and 14 

 concentric rings. 



A moderate-sized tree, 40 ft. high, and generally less, with a short, erect trunk, 

 attaining a girth of 6-7 ft.^ generally hollow when larger, branches spreading 

 into a large, broad crown. Bark of trunk J in. thick, inner substaAce hard, 

 brownish red, outside light and dark grey, with small oblong and white specks 

 across, slight cracks, between long, deep, longitudinal, brown fissures, and shorter 

 shallow ones across. The outer 3-4 rings are generally sapwood of yellowish 

 colom^ ; the heartwood is brownish, white, or often reddish, coarse-fibred, warps 

 and splits, weighs only 30 lb. per cub. ft. (38-42 lb. unseasoned). Value of P. 

 596 (Skinner), The wood of old trees often handsomely marked, and used for 

 furniture in the Peninsula. Bark extremely bitter ; leaves and pulp of the fruit 

 used in native medicine. From the fruit a fixed oil is extracted. The hard nuts 

 are frequently strung as beads. 



Melia sempervirens, Swartz., the West Indian head-tree, Bot. Reg. t. 643 ; 

 Grisebach, West Ind. Fl. 128,— is indigenous m Jamaica and Central America ; 

 but is almost certainly the same species as M. Azedarach. Roxb., 1. c. 395, states 

 that it IS also a native of Persia, and that it is " a small delicate evergreen of short 

 duration compared with M. Azedarach, which is a robust deciduous timber- 

 T^% y^?^* ^. ^™°" (Prodr., 117) find no difference between the two species. 

 In North America the root-bark of the tree enjoys considerable repute as an 

 anthelmintic (Pharm. Ind. 55). 



