Definition of "chinaberry" [chinaberry]

• A deciduous Asian tree (Melia azedarach), widely cultivated and naturalized in the southern United States and having bipinnately compound leaves, clusters of purplish flowers, and yellow, globose, poisonous fruits. Also called China tree. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The chinaberry is a warm-weather shade tree that was brought to the United States a couple of centuries ago and has flourished in the South."
• "Melia azedarach, called chinaberry or West Indian lilac, contained a number of toxic alkaloids."
• "A tree-snapping wind storm in May and a worsening drought have dealt more blows, and invasive species such as chinaberry, nandina and ligustrum are choking out native plants."