🌳 Tree
ANX-TREE-0000004
Neem
Azadirachta indica
Neem (Azadirachta indica), a medicinal, pesticidal, shade, fuelwood tree of the Meliaceae family.
- Family
- Meliaceae
- Tree type
- Medicinal, Pesticidal, Shade, Fuelwood
- Mature height (m)
- 15-20
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Lifespan (years)
- 150-200
- Native region
- Indian subcontinent, now naturalized across much of the tropics including Africa.
Environment
Growing Conditions
- Climate requirements
- Tropical to subtropical, semi-arid; extremely heat- and drought-tolerant.
- Soil types
- Tolerates poor, shallow, and saline soils where few other trees survive.
- Water requirements
- Highly drought-tolerant once established; a classic dryland/arid-zone tree.
Cultivation
Planting & Care
- Planting guide
- Grown from seed, typically direct-seeded or as nursery seedlings; commonly planted along boundaries, roadsides, and homesteads.
- Care guide
- Very low maintenance; minimal pruning required beyond shaping when young.
Phenology
Flowering & Fruiting
- Flowering season
- Small white fragrant flowers, typically at the start of the dry season
- Fruiting season
- Olive-like drupes, harvested for oil extraction
Value
Uses & Economic Importance
- Uses
- Seed-derived neem oil and leaf extracts are a widely used organic pesticide/biopesticide; timber, fuelwood, shade, and traditional medicine.
- Economic importance
- One of the most important sources of botanical (organic-approved) pesticide worldwide, alongside its role as a resilient shade/fuelwood tree in dry regions.
Trade
Marketplace
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