Brisbane tree guide

White cedar tree

Melia azedarach · also called Cape lilac, Bead tree, Chinaberry

The white cedar tree is a Queensland native and one of the few Australian trees that loses its leaves in winter. That makes it a useful shade tree: cool in summer and sunny in winter, with scented lilac flowers in spring and yellow berries that hang on after the leaves fall. The berries are poisonous if eaten, and hairy caterpillars can strip it bare, so choose its spot with care.

Native to South East Queensland
10 to 12 m tall
Flowers September to November

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White cedar leaves in a Brisbane park — Photo: John Robert McPherson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

White cedar at a glance

Height: 10 to 12 m (up to 35 m in the wild)
Leaves: Deciduous
Flowers: Purple, white, September to November
Roots: Aggressive
Origin: Northern and eastern Australia from the Kimberley to the NSW south coast, plus Asia and the Pacific
Family: Meliaceae

How to identify a white cedar

White cedar has a rounded, spreading crown of large, twice-divided leaves up to about 45 cm long, made of many pointed and often toothed leaflets. The bark is grey-brown with narrow furrows that give it a striped look. In spring, loose sprays of small, starry, lilac and white flowers with a purple tube in the centre open with the new leaves. Round to oval berries about 1.5 cm long follow, ripening yellow to orange and staying on the bare branches through winter, which makes the tree easy to pick out in June and July.

Growing a white cedar in Brisbane

White cedar grows naturally in South East Queensland, mostly on the edges of drier rainforest and in regrowth. It is tough once established, coping with low rainfall, most soil types and moderate frost. The tree is bare for part of winter, usually somewhere between June and August, which lets the sun through to the house. Garden trees commonly reach 10 to 12 metres. Plant it away from sewer lines, paving and play areas, as its roots and fallen fruit both cause problems.

What to watch out for

The seeds, fruit and leaves are poisonous if eaten, so keep small children and pets away from fallen berries. Hairy white cedar moth caterpillars can strip a tree and then wander into homes, and their bristles can cause an itchy rash. Hunter Water rates white cedar a very high risk to sewer pipes. Dried fruit turns hard and slippery on paving, and the brittle wood can snap.

Poisonous parts. The seeds, fruit and leaves are poisonous if eaten by people, pets or livestock, although fruit-eating birds are not affected.
Irritant sap or hairs. Hairy white cedar moth caterpillars can strip the tree and wander into houses, and their bristles give some people an itchy rash.
Falling fruit. Dried fruit turns very hard, so it rolls underfoot on paving and can shoot out from under a mower.
Brittle branches. The wood is brittle, and poorly propagated or planted trees can snap off at ground level.
Seedlings. Heavy-fruiting trees drop plenty of seed that sprouts readily.

Pruning and care

White cedar needs little pruning. Shape young trees early so they form one sturdy trunk, and remove dead or damaged branches while the tree is bare and its framework is easy to see. Cut carefully, as the wood is brittle and can shatter. The caterpillars climb the trunk at dusk to feed, so that is the time to check for them; trees usually recover, since they lose their leaves each year anyway. Big limbs are a job for a qualified arborist.

White cedar: your questions

Short answers, from the sources below.

Back to the tree guide

Is white cedar poisonous?

Yes. The seeds, fruit and leaves are poisonous if eaten by people or animals, and the seeds are the main risk for children. Birds eat the fruit without harm.

Is the white cedar tree native to Brisbane?

Yes. It grows wild on rainforest edges and in regrowth through Queensland and into northern NSW. It is one of very few Australian natives that drop their leaves in winter.

What are the hairy caterpillars on my white cedar?

They are most likely white cedar moth caterpillars. They shelter low down by day and climb the trunk at dusk to feed, and can strip a tree bare. Their bristles give some people a rash, so avoid handling them.

Are white cedar roots invasive?

Hunter Water gives white cedar a very high damage rating for sewer pipes, so plant it well away from sewer and stormwater lines.

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Sources and credits

Photo: John Robert McPherson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

This profile updates sheet 27 of the plant profile booklet made for Colourful Tree Lopping in 2013. We checked every fact against current sources and rewrote it for the guide.

Checked October 2026. Weed listings and council rules change: check the council's and the Queensland Government's pages before you act.