Melia azedarach

Sep 122012

Melia azedarach‘s notoriety as an invasive species overshadows its potential as an alternative source of prime quality timber. The wood is said to be comparable to Narra (Pterocarpus indicus) and Teak (Tectona grandis). Not a common farmer like us will suspect that this impressively fast-growing small to occasionally large tree will prove to be more valuable than being ornamental. Yes it can easily disperse anywhere in the world that is temperate to tropical and feral stands can be an ecological mayhem but the possibility of harvesting them as substitute to other much-preferred but seriously endangered local hardwood species must be looked through. Fellow Filipino farmers who are having second thoughts on planting exotic Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) and Gmelina (Gmelina arborea) can set their eyes somewhere else and must give our native Bagalunga (Melia azedarach) a closer look.

Specimen : Cultivated trees

Local name : Bagalunga

Trade name : Philippine neem, Chinaberry, White cedar

Botanical name : Melia azedarach

Family : Meliaceae

Height : 8-10 meters

Fruiting season : Fruits seen in March

Traits: Deciduous; Drought tolerant; Fast growing; Small to medium-sized tree; Tropical to subtropical tree

Recommendations : Agroforestry; Backyards; Erosion control; Farms; Home gardens; Light shade for crops; Living fence; Living trellis; Nurse tree; Ornamental tree; Public spaces; Roadside tree; Timber plantations; Urban greening

Used for : Various parts have medicinal applications; Timber for furnitures, tool handles, wooden crates and boxes, poles and plywood, makes also a good substitute for Narra and Mahogany; Oil from fruits may be used as an illuminant; Leaves used to repel insects; Seeds or beads may be used as natural oraments; Fuelwood and charcoal

Native range : South Asia, Thailand, China, Malesia (including the Philippines), New Guinea, Australia to the Solomon islands

National conservation status : Not threatened in the Philippines

(Note : Synonymous with Melia dubia)