Section 5
20. Chinaberry
Scientific name:
Melia azedarach
Provenance: Tropical and subtropical Asia to north and east Australia
Conservation status: Least Concern
Keep going on the asphalt path beyond the Coach Barn. Just before another path juncture will be a Chinaberry tree on your right. Chinaberry is known as the Pride of India, having a variety of uses as fuel and medicines; however, all parts of the tree are poisonous to humans and many animals. The light purple to red bark pairs well with the tree’s lilac-colored flowers. Yellow to green fruits drop to the ground along with leaves which bear many leaflets; the soil around chinaberries is very alkaline from decomposing leaf litter, providing habitat for a variety of alkaline-preferring species.
21. Engelmann Oak
Scientific name: Quercus engelmannii
Provenance: Western Arizona and Southern California to Mexico (northern Baja California)
Conservation status: Endangered
Make a right at the asphalt path juncture. You will walk past a stop sign and a map of the Arboretum. Multiple Engelmann oaks will be found on your right about a hundred feet (~30 meters) after the water fountains. The evergreen Engelmann oak has distinct brown, knotted bark. Bluish-green, near-oval leaves have brown hairs along underlying veins. The acorns are also ovalish in shape, being nearly an inch (~2.5 centimeters) long. Young Engelmann oaks have the ability to regenerate by sprouts growing from the base of the trunk. Commercial and residential developments have fragmented populations of Engelmann oaks and threatened the species’ survival. The Engelmann oaks at the Arboretum constitute the largest local population of this species in Los Angeles County.
22. Chinotto Sour Orange
Scientific name: Citrus x aurantium ‘Chinotto’
Provenance: Horticulture
Backtrack to the path juncture and make a right. There will be a grove of Chinotto sour orange trees on your left after the Rose Garden sign. The species of this cultivar, sour orange, is native to Southeast Asia and notably was introduced to Italy in the 1500s. It is here that the ‘Chinotto’ variety was primarily cultivated in Liguria, with the cultivar’s fruits being extremely strong and bitter in taste. This flavoring has led to the cultivar’s oranges being used for flavoring in soft drinks, marmalade, candy, cocktails, and the Italian liquor Amaro. Chinotto is slow growing with dense branches, but sports fruits which turn from an emerald green to bright orange in spring. The tree is uncommon in the plant trade, with the Arboretum boasting about 70 specimens surrounding the Rose Garden.