Melia azadirachta, Melia azedarach.

Melia azadirachta Linn. Meliaceae. Bean Tree. China Tree. False Sycamore. Pride Of India.

East Indies. A kind of toddy is obtained by tapping the tree, and from the fruit a medicinal oil, known as bitter oil or taipoo oil, is made.

Melia azedarach Linn. Syrian Bead Tree.

A tree of Syria, the north of India and subtropical Japan and China. It is cultivated for ornament in different parts of the world. In southern France and Spain, it is planted in avenues. In our southern states, it adorns the streets of cities and has even become naturalized. The fruit is a round drupe, about as large as a cherry and yellowish when ripe, is sweetish, and, though said by some to be poisonous, is eaten by children. In India, from incisions in the trunk near the base made in spring, a sap issues which is used as a cooling drink. From the fruit, a bitter oil is extracted, called kohombe oil, and is used medicinally. The bitter leaves are used as a potherb in India, being made into soup, or curry, with other vegetables.

Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World, 1919, was edited by U. P. Hedrick.