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Friday - April 01, 2011
From: Round Rock, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Identification of tree along Austin highways
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I am trying to identify a large tree seen along many Austin Highways. The best ID can find is Western Soapberry, but the articles all specify white blooms. The trees I see have purple clusters of blooms. They do have the pods seen on Soapberry. Is this a soapberry variety?ANSWER:
The tree you are describing sounds like Melia azedarach (chinaberry tree). You are correct that its leaves and fruits resemble those of Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii (Western soapberry), but it is an invasive, non-native introduced to the US from Asia. Here are more photos and more information.
Here are photos from our Image Gallery of Western soapberry:
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