The Original Mystery Plant

Photos by John Nelson

The fruit of the Mystery Plant is poisonous, and the leaves are, too. The Mystery Plant has had a relatively long history in the American South, and it has accrued a bit of folklore as well.

The Mystery Plant is native to southwestern Asia, including India. It's related to members of the mahogany family. From Asia, it made its way to the West Indies as an ornamental species during the time of Spanish colonization.

The Mystery Plant is lovely in the spring. It blooms madly and has glossy, green foliage. It's widely planted as a street tree and referred to as the Pride of India. Although the Mystery Plant comes from India, its more common name suggests it comes from China.

The Mystery Plant has the potential to be a large tree, but it doesn't seem to get too big. The bark is sinewy and ridged. The leaves are compound and divided into toothy leaflets on a long stalk.

The flowers are formed in large panicles, and each blossom has five small sepals and five bright pink, flaring petals. The flowers are also fragrant.

In the summer, the spherical, marble- sized fruits develop, first hard and green, but ripening into a warm yellow and ultimately becoming mushy. These fruits are drupes, each containing a single, large seed, which is ribbed on its sides. The seeds have been used to make beads, which accounts for the old name, Bead- tree.

The trees are often seen in urban as well as country settings from Virginia through all of the southern states to California. It is still planted on purpose but owes much of its current distribution to the ease with which it sprouts from seeds.

In fact, the plants are thought of as weedy and invasive. They Mystery Plant often grows in unkempt thickets along train tracks or vacant lots.

Long after the leaves have dried and fallen, the fruits remain on the trees. As winter progresses, the fruits become darkened, shriveled, and not too pretty. Unfortunately, not many people like the Mystery Plant. Once it was grown as a common street tree, and now it's considered a tacky weed. But it's fragrant and pretty during spring.

Answer to this week's mystery plant

[Answer: "Chinaberry," Melia azedarach]

Dr. John Nelson is the curator of the USC Herbarium. To learn more about the Herbarium, call 777-8196. The

department also offers free plant identification.

www.herbarium.org