Disambiguation Links – West Indian Lilac (S/F)
Melia azedarach, also known as the West Indian lilac or the chinaberry, was a poisonous plant found in Jurassic Park. Because of its toxic alkaloids it caused dinosaurs to get sick when eaten and was often used by the Chinese as a fish poison.
The West Indian lilac was found in the Stegosaurus paddock on Isla Nublar. Ellie Sattler, Dr. Alan Grant, Ed Regis, and Lex and Tim Murphy were on an inspection tour of Jurassic Park when reaching the Stegosaurus paddock, only to find a sick Stegosaurus being anesthetized by the vet employed at Jurassic Park. Regis continued to explain that the Stegosaurus got sick often, about once every six weeks, and that nobody could figure out the cause of the illnesses.
Ellie Sattler took note of the strange odor coming from the Stegosaurus and it’s labored breathing. Regis begins to explain the symptoms the Stegosaurus exhibit once they fell ill, like imbalance, disorientation, labored breathing and diarrhea. Ellie, however, discovered the other symptoms, such as pupil dilatation, blisters on the mucous membranes and stupor.
After she found a pile of gizzard stones, stones dinosaurs swallowed to help break down plant fibers, she realizes when the Stegosaurus swallowed the stones they also swallowed the toxic berries, which caused them to get sick.
The sick Stegosaurus was a true example of how dangerous the West Indian lilac truly was, its toxic alkaloids ultimately causing the creatures that ate it to get sick.
