Neem is a fast-growing, medium-to-large evergreen tree (15–30 m) with compound leaves, thick grey bark, fragrant white or pale yellow flowers, olive-like yellow-green fruit, and sticky sap in old trees.
Neem (Azadirachta indica, family Meliaceae) is a fast-growing evergreen tree, usually about 15 metres tall and occasionally 25 metres, with a short, straight trunk and long, spreading branches that form a dense, rounded crown. Its leaves are divided into toothed leaflets. It bears small, fragrant white flowers and olive-like fruits that turn yellow when ripe. It grows 4 to 7 metres in its first three years.
Neem is native to the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar and has been planted throughout the tropics. In Nigeria, especially the north, it is very widely planted for shade along roads and in towns and villages and as a windbreak. It is drought-resistant, grows on poor soils with as little as 450 mm of rain and tolerates great heat, but it dies quickly in waterlogged ground. It fruits from four to five years. It grows easily from fresh seed and regrows well after cutting. It spreads readily and can become a weed.
Source: Useful Tropical Plants database (Fern, K.).
Used in Ayurvedic and Unani medicine for oral care, skin conditions, parasitic infections, digestive health, and fever; contains over 140 bioactive compounds. Raw oil can be toxic to children and prolonged use may harm kidneys/liver.
Young leaves and flowers are eaten in India and Southeast Asia, in dishes like nim begun bhaja or veppam pū cāṟu, and used in salads or to temper bitterness.
Neem is used in Hindu festivals, as home protection from evil or infection, and has spiritual significance associated with goddess Shitala.
Hardy and drought-resistant, neem grows in tropical/sub-tropical regions, tolerates poor soils, prefers full sun, propagates from seeds or cuttings, grows very fast, but can be invasive outside native areas.