Tree Description:
A common shade tree of old homesteads and unmaintained areas that reaches 40 feet tall and up to 2 feet in diameter, with a dense, rounded crown.
Range/Site Description:
Native to Persia and southeast Asia, chinaberry prefers moist, rich, well-drained soils and has naturalized throughout central and east Texas, especially along riverbottoms and streams.
Leaf:
Dark green, glossy, alternate and compound, with a terminal pinna and leaflet. Leaflets 1" to 2" long and half as wide, coarsely toothed or sometimes lobed. Leaves and twigs without prickles or spines.
Flower:
Lavender, sweet-smelling, appearing as 10" long branching clusters of half-inch flowers.
Fruit:
Drooping clusters of round, yellowish berries, about 0.5" in diameter. Birds eat the fruits after they become soft and spread the seeds widely.
Bark:
Dark brown and smooth on young stems, breaking into scales, then flattened, shiny ridges on older trunks.
Wood:
In Asia the species is used for cabinets; the dried seeds were once used for rosary beads.
Similar Species:
Chinese flametree (Koelreuteria bipinnata) has yellow flowers; goldenraintree (K. paniculata) has single-compound leaves; devil's-walkingstick (Aralia spinosa) has sharp prickles on leaves, branches, and stem.
Interesting Facts:
One of the top ten invasive exotic species in Texas.
