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BATS
AND THE CHINABERRY TREE |
The chinaberry tree, Melia azedarach, is a botanical and geographical relative of the fabulous neem tree. Both trees are in the Meliaceae family of Mahoganies and they both grow in India. Both trees are seed-dispersed by bats.
Chinaberry Tree, Maui, Hawaii
Photograph courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr (USGS)
The chinaberry tree is planted by the Indian flying fox and some Cynopterus species of bats.
Short-nosed bats
(Drawn from a photograph by Merlin D. Tuttle)
Unlike the venerated and protected neem tree, however, the chinaberry tree has achieved pest status outside of its native lands. Human beings admired the chinaberry tree for its graceful form, its spreading, shade-providing canopy, its fragrant masses of lilac coloured flowers and its decorative yellow fruits.
Chinaberry tree, Maui, Hawaii
Photograph courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr (USGS)
Human beings planted chinaberry trees along avenues in France and Spain. In the southeastern United States and Hawaii human beings planted the chinaberry tree in gardens. Like the bat-planted turkeyberry and carob tree, the chinaberry tree has leaped over fences, penetrated forests, colonized disturbed land and displaced native plants. Although it can be purchased in nurseries, officially it is labelled as a non-native invasive plant.
In its native lands the chinaberry is prized for its beauty and shade and for other gifts that it bestows.
Leaves: Leaf juice is a diuretic, It is used to treat roundworms and to control menstruation. Leaves are eaten in soup and curry.
Bark: Used to treat intestinal roundworms.
Fruit: Used as a fish poison, insecticide, to make alcohol and in a medicinal oil, kohambe. Although it is thought by some to be poisonous, the fruit is sweet and eaten without apparent harm by children, bats, birds and other animals.
Sap: Used to make a drink, collected in spring from cuts at the base of the tree.
Seeds: Used to make necklaces.
Wood: Cedar-like, used for furniture.
Indian flying fox (Pteropus giganteus)
References:
Chinaberry, Melia azedarach,Non-native Invasive Plants in the United States, University of Florida, IFAS, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants; http://aquatl.ifas.ufl.edu/melaze.html
Fujita, M.S. 1991. Flying Fox (Chiroptera:Pteropodidae) Pollination, Seed Dispersal, and Economic Importance: A Tabular Summary of Current Knowledge, Resource Publication No. 2, Bat Conservation International
Hedrick, U.P., editor, Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World, Dover Publications, 1972 (First published in 1919)
Usher, George, A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man, Constable and Company Ltd, 1974
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THE PLANT Family: Meliaceae (Mahoganies) Species: Melia azedarach Common names: Chinaberry, umbrella tree, Syrian bead tree |
THE BATS Indian flying fox (Pteropus giganteus) Cynopterus species |
Chinaberry tree, Maui, Hawaii
Photograph courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr (USGS)
Thanks to Dr. Merlin D. Tuttle, Founder and President of Bat Conservation International, Austin, Texas, for permission make a drawing from his photograph of shortnosed bats.. http://www.batcon.org
Thank you also to Forest and Kim Starr for permission to use photographs from their photo-library of plants growing in Hawaii.
http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/index.html
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