Kadukhajur / China Berry
Melia dubia
Also known as Great Neem Tree, Big Leaved Mahogany
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
How to identify Kadukhajur
Identify Kadukhajur by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Fast-growing timber tree, larger than M. azedarach.
- Confirm leaf type: Bipinnately compound (doubly divided, fern-like).
- Confirm flower colour: White/cream.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Meliaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Kadukhajur.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Melia dubia
- Genus
- Melia
- Family
- Meliaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Moist deciduous, semi-Evergreen forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- Tropical Asia, Australia, Africa
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Kerala, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Bipinnately compound (doubly divided, fern-like)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kadukhajur itself; the rest are typical of the Meliaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- White/creamrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kadukhajur itself; the rest are typical of the Meliaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- kadukhajur
- Tamil
- malai vembu, மலை வேம்பு
- Telugu
- munnatikaaraka, మలాబారు వేప
- Kannada
- ಹೆಬ್ಬೇವು Hebbevu, ತುರುಕುಬೇವು Turukubevu, ಬೆಟ್ಟಬೇವು
- Malayalam
- malavepu, മലവേപ്പ്, മലവേമ്പ്
- Marathi
- kariaput, khaali khajoor
About Kadukhajur
China Berry (Melia dubia) is a tree in the Meliaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and 5 other states. It grows in moist deciduous, semi-Evergreen forests. It flowers and fruits through much of the year.
Uses
It is long used in traditional medicine and cut for timber and furniture. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.
Meliaceae
Mahogany/Neem family
Kadukhajur belongs to the Meliaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Meliaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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