Melia azedarach var. japonica, an ornamental tree with distinctive purplish bark that blooms abundantly with small flowers. Other names for it include Persian Lilac, Indian Lilac, Pride of India, Japanese Bead Tree, Margosa Tree, White Cedar and Umbrella Chinaberry.
Melia azedarach As a coarsely textured, medium density hardwood, this wood is generally used for painted or partially painted statues. However, when properly finished, this wood can be quite smooth and beautiful to look at with its visible grain and irregularities of pattern. The bare wood is tan to yellow in color. The chinaberry tree (as well as mango) are often attacked by tropical mistletoe which causes a gall formation. After the mistletoe dies away and rots off, it leaves a perfect attachment imprint on the host stem, which look like a fungus. This intricately sculpted impression is called a wood rose. The nearby wood is darkened, sometimes with a reddish hue, creating interesting contrasts in color. Wood roses are carved into many kinds of figures, animal, human and even Gods. Each carving is unique and exactly like none other.
tree of northern India and China having purple blossoms and small inedible yellow fruits; naturalized in the southern United States as a shade tree
The Chinaberry or Bead Tree (Melia azedarach; syn. M. australis, M. japonica, M. sempervivens), is a deciduous tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae, native to India, southern China and Australia. It is also occasionally known as Persian Lilac, White Cedar and other names.
