Neem tree
Azadirachta indica

Family: Meliaceae

What it is like

A medium sized tree. It grows to 5-18 m high. It has deep roots and normally keeps its leaves except when there is strong drought. The tree has a straight trunk and a rounded spreading crown. The bark is thick and grey. It is smooth when young and cracked when old. The leaves are alternate. The leaves are up to 35 cm long. They are made up of 7-17 leaflets. There is an odd number of leaflets. Each leaflet is 6-8 cm long. They are oblique with teeth along the edge. The flowers are small and white. Many flowers occur on branched stalks. The fruit are oval and smooth. They are 1.5 cm long by 1 cm wide. They are green when young but turn yellow or brown at maturity. There is one seed inside and it has a thick seed coat.

Leaves contain 15 % protein. There are 2 Azadirachta species. It is used in medicine and as an insect repellant. It has anticancer properties.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It occurs in most of Africa in both wet and dry areas. It is salt tolerant. It grows in the Sahel. It originally comes from India. They can stand temperatures up to 49°C. Temperatures below freezing kill the plant. In Africa trees mostly grow between 50 an 1500 m altitude. They do best in dry subtropical climates. It will grow on dry shallow soils but grows on most kinds of soils. It can grow in soils with pH of 5 but does best with pH of 6.2. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Algeria, Andamans, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial-Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India (country/location of origin), Indochina, Indonesia (country/location of origin), Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia (country/location of origin), Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (country/location of origin), Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Sahel, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad-Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, UAE, USA, Uruguay, Venezuela, Virgin Islands, West Africa, West Indies, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The young leaves are cooked and eaten in India. They are eaten raw or fried along with other vegetables. They have a bitter taste. They are used in soups and curries. The flowers are used to flavour food. They are fried in oil or ghee. The pulp of the fully ripe fruit is eaten raw or cooked or used for drinks. Oil from the seeds can be used for cooking after being refined. The leaves and flowers are bitter unless cooked. The sap from the branches is fermented into an alcoholic drink and drunk. Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer. Caution: Alkaloids in the fruit and bark contain alkaloids that cause vomiting.

Famine food. It is cultivated. Leaves are sold in local markets. The pulp of the fruit is especially eaten by children.

Edible parts

Fruit, leaves, flowers, sap, caution, vegetable, seeds, seeds - oil

How it is grown

Trees can be grown from seed. Seed need to be fresh as they only remain viable for 1-2 weeks. Seeds planted in nurseries need to have roots pruned off regularly. Seedlings can be planted out after 14-18 weeks. A spacing of 5 x 10 m is suitable. Fruit fall naturally during the rainy season.

It is a fast growing plant and can be 4-7 m in 3 years. A mature tree produces 20-50 kg of fruit. Trees can last for 100 years.

Its other names

Local names

Bevu, Dogon yaro, Geed hindi, Hithigas, Indian lilac, Ka dau, Kadu-nimb, Limba, Limbo, Limdo, Mahaneem, Mandvi, Margosa tree, Mirimiri, Neem dari, Niem, Nim, Nimba, Nimbay, Nimboni, Nimkauli, Nimpata, Nimu, Phak ka dao, Phak ki nin, Phak sdau, Pichumarda, Sadao, Sau dau, Sdao, Sdav, Svay reanov, Tama, Tamaga, Turi forta, Vapa chettu, Vembu, Vepa, Veypa marum

Synonyms

Antelea azadirachta (L.) Adelb.; Azadirachta indica va. siamensis Valeton; Melia azadirachta L.; Melia indica Brand.;