SimplePlant

Meliaceae

China-Berry

Melia azedarach L.

Family
Meliaceae
Genus
Melia

Pets and kids

  • CatsToxic
  • DogsToxic
  • KidsToxic
Why

Cats: Toxic

Toxic to cats (severe). Toxic principle: Tetranortriterpenes (meliatoxins).

Signs: vomiting, diarrhea, salivation, weakness, seizures.

Dogs: Toxic

Toxic to dogs (severe). Toxic principle: Tetranortriterpenes (meliatoxins).

Signs: vomiting, diarrhea, salivation, weakness, seizures.

Kids: Toxic

Toxic to young children (moderate). Toxic principle: Tetranortriterpenes (meliatoxins).

Signs: vomiting, diarrhea, stomach irritation, weakness, breathing difficulty.

China-Berry (Melia azedarach)
FlowerPhoto: Klaus Wehrlin, CC0, from iNaturalist

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Is China-Berry safe for cats, dogs and kids?

Is China-Berry safe for cats?

No. Our sources call China-Berry toxic to cats (severe). Toxic principle: Tetranortriterpenes (meliatoxins). Signs: vomiting, diarrhea, salivation, weakness, seizures.

Is China-Berry safe for dogs?

No. Our sources call China-Berry toxic to dogs (severe). Toxic principle: Tetranortriterpenes (meliatoxins). Signs: vomiting, diarrhea, salivation, weakness, seizures.

Is China-Berry safe for kids?

No. Our sources call China-Berry toxic to young children (moderate). Toxic principle: Tetranortriterpenes (meliatoxins). Signs: vomiting, diarrhea, stomach irritation, weakness, breathing difficulty.

Ate some? Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a fee may apply). For a child, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US). If they are struggling to breathe or collapse, call 911. Don't give anything by mouth unless a vet or poison expert tells you to.

See all cat-safe plants, dog-safe plants and child-safe plants.

Common names

By language (65)
Afrikaans
Seringboom, Bessieboom, Kaapse sering, Maksering, Sering
ami
Vangas
Arabic
أزدرخت شائع, أزادراخت, جرود, زنزلخت, سباحي, أزدرخت أثيوبي, أزدرخت أسترالي, أزدرخت بغوري
arz
ازدرخت شائع
Azerbaijani
İran meliyası
ban
Jempinis
Bangla
ঘোড়ানিম
Basque
Paradisuko melia
Bulgarian
Хималайска мелия
Cantonese
楝樹
Catalan
Mèlia
Central Kurdish
زەیتوونی تاڵ
Chinese
楝, 苦楝, 川楝, 川楝子, 苦楝皮, 金铃子, 三桠苦, 川楝（川楝树）
Czech
Zederach hladký
Danish
Paternostertræ
dga
Malia azedarach teɛ, Bead teɛ, Cape lilac, Cedar pelaa, China tewɔme, China teɛ, China-wɔmmo, Chinateɛ wɔmɔ
Dutch
Indische sering, Paternosterboom
English
China-Berry, Chinaberry, Chinaberrytree, Chinaberry tree, Indian lilac, Lelah, Paraiso, Pride of India
Esperanto
Bida melio
Finnish
Meelia
French
Azédarach, Lilas de Perse, Lilas perse, Melai azedarach
Galician
Árbore de Santo Outelo, Cinamomo, Árbore da rabia, Árbore de Santo Eutelio, Árbore de Santo Outel
German
Zedrachbaum, Chinesischer Holunder, Paternosterbaum, Persischer Flieder
Greek
Αγριοπασχαλιά
Haitian Creole
Lilas peyi
hak
Fuˊ lien+, Fuˇ lien, Ku^ lienˋ, Ku^ neen, Kuˋ lienˊ
Hebrew
אזדרכת מצויה
Hindi
बकायन
hsb
Indiski melijowc
Hungarian
Miatyánkcserje, Imafüzérfa
Indonesian
Mindi
Italian
Albero dei paternostri, Mindi
Japanese
センダン, クレンシ, クレンピ, 栴檀, 楝, 苦楝子, 苦楝皮
Javanese
Mindi
Kannada
ಕಾಡು ಬೇವು
Korean
멀구슬나무
lah
دھریک, ڈیک
lzh
楝
Macedonian
Оченашица, Бел кедар
Malagasy
Voandelaka, Voandelaky
Malayalam
ശീമവേപ്പ്
Marathi
बकाणनिंब
mzn
شال پستون دار
nan
Khó͘-lēng, Khó͘-lēng-á, Khóo-līng-á, Khóo-līng, Khó·-lēng, Khó͘-lēng-chhiū
Nepali
बकाइनो
Norwegian Bokmål
Paternostertre
Nyanja
Ndya
Persian
آزاددرخت, آزاد درخت, ازاد درخت, ازاددرخت, زیتون تلخ
Portuguese
Amargoseira, Chinaberry, Ewê mensã, Folha de iansan, Folha de iansã, Folha de oia, Folha de oya, Folha de oya mensan orum
Punjabi
ਧਰੇਕ, ਡੇਕ
pwn
Bagasu, Vanga
Russian
Мелия азедарах
Sanskrit
महानिम्बिसस्यम्
Spanish
Piocha, Azedaraque, Flor del paraiso, Flor del paraíso, Lila de las antillas, Lila de las Indias, Paraiso sombrilla, Paraisos
Swedish
Zedrak
szy
Tilebes
Tamil
12.தோழிக்குரைத்த பத்து
tay
Gamut
Thai
เลี่ยน
Tongan
Sita, Cedrela australis, Cedrela odorata, Cedrela sinensis, Cedrela toona, Toona australis, Toona ciliata
Turkish
Tespih ağacı, Tespih çalısı, Tespihağacı
Ukrainian
Мелія азедарах, Мелія ацедарах
Urdu
بکائن
Vietnamese
Xoan
Zulu
UmSilinga

Synonyms

  • Azedara speciosa Raf.
  • Azedarach commelini Medik.
  • Azedarach deleteria Medik.
  • Azedarach fraxinifolia Moench
  • Azedarach odoratum Noronha
  • Azedarach sempervirens (L.) Kuntze
  • Azedarach sempervirens (L.) Otto & A.Dietr.
  • Azedarach sempervirens f. incisodentata Kuntze
  • Azedarach sempervirens f. longifoliola Kuntze
  • Azedarach sempervirens f. subdentata Kuntze
  • Azedarach sempervirens var. glabrior Kuntze
  • Melia aethiopica Welw.
  • Melia angustifolia Schumach. & Thonn.
  • Melia arguta DC.
  • Melia australasica Juss.
  • Melia australis Sweet
  • Melia azedarach f. umbraculifera (G.W.Knox) Rehder
  • Melia azedarach var. australasica DC.
  • Melia azedarach var. glabrior C.DC.
  • Melia azedarach var. intermedia (Makino) Makino
  • Melia azedarach var. sempervirens L.
  • Melia azedarach var. subtripinnata Miq.
  • Melia azedarach var. toosendan (Siebold & Zucc.) Makino
  • Melia azedarach var. umbraculifera G.W.Knox
  • Melia bogoriensis Koord. & Valeton
  • Melia bombolo Welw.
  • Melia bukayun Royle
  • Melia candollei Juss.
  • Melia chinensis Siebold ex Miq.
  • Melia cochinchinensis M.Roem.
  • Melia commelini Medik. ex Steud.
  • Melia composita Benth.
  • Melia flaccida Zipp. ex Span.
  • Melia floribunda Carrière
  • Melia florida Salisb.
  • Melia guineensis G.Don
  • Melia japonica G.Don
  • Melia japonica var. semperflorens Makino
  • Melia javanica M.Roem.
  • Melia orientalis M.Roem.

and 5 more.

Flowers

In flower
March to May, September to October (from 1,125 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Flower colour
purple (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit
Shrub, Tree
Lifespan
Perennial
In the US and Canada
Hawaii: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced, Navassa Island: introduced, Pacific Basin: introduced, Puerto Rico: introduced, U.S. Virgin Islands: introduced

Toxicity: Slight, as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29). USDA rates how toxic a plant is to people or livestock; it is not a pet-safety rating, so ask a vet or poison line if a pet or child ate it.

Photos

More in Melia

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.