Meliaceae

General characteristics

They are mainly Arbre S or Arbuste S or seldom of the herbaceous plants of the tropical areas.

The sheets are generally alternate, made up pennate (seldom bipennées), without stipulate. Some species are with null and void sheets, losing their foliage either in winter, or during the dry season, the majority are sempervirentes.

The flowers of small size, actinomorphic, to 4-5 sepals and petals (being able to go from 3 to 7) and 8 to 10 cheesecloths, are often welded out of tube. The ovary supère includes/understands from 2 to 6 cabins. They are in general unisexuées, the plants being either monoïques, or dioïques. The presence of staminodes or phyllodes give them sometimes an aspect of bisexuées flowers. The inflorescences are varied, in general thyrses or bunches, sometimes ears.

The fruits are generally capsule S, sometimes of the drupes or bays.

The seeds of Méliacées are disseminated by the wind ( Cedrela, Entandophragma, Khaya, Swietenia ), the vertebrate animals like the birds the such toucans in America, calao in Africa and Asia, and the primates ( Aglaia , Trichilia ), the elephants ( Carapa in Africa) and the rodents (Carapa in America) and by floating ( Xylocarpus ).

The species with small winged seeds anémochores (dispersed by the wind) are in general heliophilous (like the light) and those with larger nonwinged seeds with or without arille (coloured pulp coating seed) disseminated by the animals (zoochores) are sciapliles (like the shade of the underwood).

Distribution

Surface of tropical and subtropical distribution, as well in the old one as in the new world.

A kind, Toona extends in extends towards north in the area moderate of the China and with the south in the South-east of the Australia, while an other, Melia , extend almost also far towards north.

Many species endemic with Madagascar.

The kind Carapa is at the same time in America and Africa, but not in Asia where it is replaced by the kind Xylocarpus . The diversity of the Carapa very large but is still ignored to date.

List kinds

Aglaia, Anthocarapa, Aphanamixis, Astrotrichilia, Azadirachta, Cabralea, Calodecarya, Capuronianthus, Carapa, Cedrela, Chisocheton, Chukrasia, Cipadessa, Dysoxylum, Ekebergia, Entandrophragma, Guarea, Heckeldora, Humbertioturraea, Khaya, Lansium, Lepidotrichilia, Lovoa, Malleastrum, Melia, Munronia, Naregamia, Neobeguea, Nymannia, Owenia, Pseudobersama, Pseudocarapa, Pseudocedrela, Pterorhachis, Quivislanthe, Reinwardtiodendron, Ruagea, Sandoricum, Schmardaea, Soymida, Sphaerosacme, Swietenia, Synoum, Toona, Trichilia, Turraea, Turraeanthus, Vavaea, Walsura, Xylocarpus .

Economic interest

Wood:

Swietenia (America) and Khaya (Africa) provides the wood of mahogany tree;
Cedrela, Dysoxlum, Entandrophragma, Melia provides also wood interesting. It is with the kind Cedrela that the bitter Acajou belongs
Carapa provides red and white wood (America)

Fruits:

the kinds Lansium , with the species Lansium domesticum and Aglaia provide edible fruits.

decorative Plants:

Aglaia, Azadirachta, Melia, Turraea .

Various:

Azadirachta indica is a traditional medicinal plant in India and a source of insecticide.
the trees of the kind Carapa are used in traditional medicine in tropical America and Africa. The barks, the sheets and the seeds have multiple uses in pharmacopeia and cosmetic. See the http://www.carapa.org site.

External bonds

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