Mèlia Azédarach, L. (China-Tree. Pride of India.) Leaves very large, doubly pinnate, with many obliquely lance-ovate, acuminate, smooth, serrate leaflets. Flowers small, lilac-colored, deliciously fragrant, in large axillary clusters. Fruit globular, as large as cherries, yellow when ripe in autumn; hanging on through the winter. A rather small (20 to 40 ft. high), rapidly growing, round-headed, popular shade-tree in the south, and hardy as far north as Virginia. Introduced from Persia.
Genus 16. CEDRÉLA.
Leaves large, alternate, deciduous, odd-pinnate. Flowers with separate petals, fragrant, white, in large clusters. Fruit 5-celled dehiscent pods, with many pendulous, winged seeds.
C. Sinénsis.
Cedréla Sinénsis. (Chinese Cedrela.) Leaves large, odd-pinnate, alternate, appearing much like those of the Ailanthus, but with slight serrations near the tips of the leaflets, and no glands near the base. Bruised leaves with a strong odor; footstalk and stout-tipped branches with glands. Large tree, seemingly hardy in New Jersey, but dies to the ground in winter in Massachusetts. Recently introduced from China.
Order XI. SIMARUBÀCEÆ. (Quassia Family.)
Eastern trees and shrubs, here represented by a single tree:
Genus 17. AILÁNTHUS.
Large trees to shrubs, with alternate, odd-pinnate leaves. Flowers small, greenish, in large terminal panicles. Fruit broadly winged, like the Ash, but with the seed in the center.