Azadirachta indica Meliaceae A. Juss. - World Agroforestry Centre

Azadirachta indica 

neem 

A. Juss. 

Meliaceae 

LOCAL NAMES 

Amharic (kinin); Arabic (nim,neem); Bengali (nimgach,nim); Burmese 

(bowtamaka,thinboro,tamarkha,tamar,tamaka,tamabin); Cantonese 

(nimba,kohomba,bevu); Chamorro (sdau); Creole (nim); English (Persian 

lilac,neem tree,bastard tree,Indian lilac,bead tree,margosa 

tree,cornucopia,Indian cedar); French 

(margousier,margosier,neem,nim,azadirac de l’Inde); Hindi 

(neem,balnimb,nim,veppam,nind,vempu); Indonesian 

(mind,intaran,membha,imba,mempheuh,mimba); Javanese (mimba,imba); 

Khmer (sdau); Lao (Sino-Tibetan) (ka dao,kadau); Malay 

(sadu,baypay,mambu,veppam); Nepali (neem); Sanskrit (nimba); Sinhala 

(kohomba); Swahili (mwarubaini,mwarubaini kamili,mkilifi); Tamil 

(vepa,veppu,veppam,vembu); Thai (sadao,kadao,sadao 

India,khwinin,saliam,cha-tang); Tigrigna (nim); Trade name (neem); 

Vietnamese (saafu daau,sàu-dàu,s[aaf]u d[aa]u) 

BOTANIC DESCRIPTION 

Azadirachta indica is a small to medium-sized tree, usually evergreen, up 

to 15 (30 max.) m tall, with a round, large crown up to 10 (20 max.) m in 

diameter; branches spreading; bole branchless for up to 7.5 m, up to 90 

cm in diameter, sometimes fluted at base; bark moderately thick, with 

small, scattered tubercles, deeply fissured and flaking in old trees, dark 

grey outside and reddish inside, with colourless, sticky foetid sap. 

Immature fruits (Schmutterer H.) 

Trees in Mindinao, Philippines (Anthony 

Simons) 

Leaves alternate, crowded near the end of branches, simply pinnate, 20- 

40 cm long, exstipulate, light green, with 2 pairs of glands at the base, 

otherwise glabrous; petiole 2-7 cm long, subglabrous; rachis channelled 

above; leaflets 8-19, very short petioluled, alternate proximally and more 

or less opposite distally, ovate to lanceolate, sometimes falcate (min. 2) 

3.5-10 x 1.2-4 cm, glossy, serrate; apex acuminate; base unequal. 

Inflorescence an axillary, many-flowered thyrsus, up to 30 cm long; bracts 

minute and caducous; flowers bisexual or male on same tree, 

actinomorphic, small, pentamerous, white or pale yellow, slightly sweet 

scented; calyx lobes imbricate, broadly ovate and thin, puberulous inside; 

petals free, imbricate, spathulate, spreading, ciliolate inside. 

18-month-old trees grown near Leon, 

Nicaragua (Anthony Simons) 

Fruit 1 (max. 2)-seeded drupe, ellipsoidal, 1-2 cm long, greenish, greenishyellow 

to yellow or purple when ripe; exocarp thin, mesocarp pulpy, 

endocarp cartilaginous; seed ovoid or spherical; apex pointed; testa thin, 

composed of a shell and a kernel (sometimes 2 or 3 kernels), each about 

half of the seed’s weight. 

BIOLOGY 

A. indica trees may start flowering and fruiting at the age of 4-5 years, but 

economic quantities of seed are produced only after 10-12 years. 

Pollination is by insects such as honeybees. Certain isolated trees do not 

set fruit, suggesting the occurrence of self-incompatibility. The flowering 

and fruiting seasons largely depend on location and habitat. In Thailand 

for instance, neem flowers and fruits throughout the year whereas in East 

Africa (with pronounced dry and wet season) flowering and fruiting are 

restricted to distinct periods. Fruits ripen in about 12 weeks from anthesis 

and are eaten by bats and birds, which distribute the seed. They can live 

for over 200 years. 

Agroforestry Database 4.0 (Orwa et al.2009) 

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ECOLOGY 

A. indica is said to grow ‘almost anywhere’ in the lowland tropics. Under natural conditions, it does not grow gregariously. 

In India, it is present in mixed forest with Acacia spp. and Dalbergia sissoo; in Indonesia, it is naturalized in lowland 

monsoon forest. In Africa, it is found in evergreen forest and in dry deciduous forest. Adult A. indica tolerates some frost, 

but seedlings are more sensitive. It quickly dies in waterlogged soils. A. indica requires large amounts of light, but it 

tolerates fairly heavy shade during the 1st few years. 

BIOPHYSICAL LIMITS 

Altitude: 0-1500 m, Mean annual temperature: Up to 40 deg. C, Mean annual rainfall: 400-1200 mm 

Soil type: It grows on a wide variety of neutral to alkaline soils but performs better than most species on shallow, stony, 

sandy soils, or in places where there is a hard calcareous or clay pan not far below the surface. It grows best on soils 

with a pH of 6.2-7. 

DOCUMENTED SPECIES DISTRIBUTION 

Native: 

Exotic: 

India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Thailand 

Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, 

Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, 

Colombia, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, 

Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, French Guiana, 

Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, 

Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, 

Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, 

Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Sao Tome et Principe, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, 

Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Surinam, 

Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, US, Venezuela, 

Virgin Islands (US), Zambia, Zimbabwe 

Native range 

Exotic range 

The map above shows countries where the species has been planted. It does neither 

suggest that the species can be planted in every ecological zone within that country, 

nor that the species can not be planted in other countries than those depicted. Since 

some tree species are invasive, you need to follow biosafety procedures that apply to 

your planting site. 


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nor that the species can not be planted in other countries than those depicted. 


Since 





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nor that the species can not be planted in other countries than those depicted. Since 





PRODUCTS 

Food: Fruits are eaten fresh or cooked, or prepared as a dessert or lemonade-type drink. The young twigs and flowers 

are occasionally consumed as vegetables. 

Fodder: The leaves, though very bitter, are used as a dry season fodder. A. indica fruit is an important source of food 

for some wildlife, especially birds and bats, although they digest only the pulp, not the seed. 

Fuel: Charcoal made from A. indica wood is of excellent quality and the wood has long been used as firewood. Its oil is 

burned in lamps throughout India. 

Timber: A. indica is a species of the mahogany family, and although it has some of the characteristics of a cabinetry 

wood, its grain is rough and does not polish well. The wood is, nevertheless, used to make wardrobes, bookcases and 

closets, as well as packing cases because its insect repellent quality helps to protect the contents from insect damage. 

The main stem of the tree is also widely used to make posts for construction or fencing because the wood is termite 

resistant. The density of the wood is 720-930 kg/cubic m at 12% mc. 

Gum or resin: An exudate can be tapped from the trunk by wounding the bark. This high-protein material has potential 

as a food additive and is widely used in Southeast Asia as ‘neem glue’. 

Tannin or dyestuff: Tree bark contains 12-14% tannins. This compares favourably with conventional tannin chemicals. 

Lipids: A. indica oil has long been produced in Asia on an industrial scale for soaps, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and 

other non-edible products. The seed oil yield is sometimes as high as 50% of the weight of the kernel. Neem oil is 

valued at about USD 700/t (1990). 

Poison: Azadirachtin has been identified as A. indica’s principal active compound. Extracts can be made from leaves 

and other tissues, but the seeds contain the highest concentrations of the compound. In India, some Neem-based 

pesticides include Azadi, Fortune Azadi, Godrej Achook, Margocide, Neemarin, Repelin and Nimbecidine. It acts as an 

insect repellant, inhibiting feeding, and disrupting insect growth, metamorphosis and reproduction. Formulations based 

on A. indica do not usually kill insects directly but alter their behaviour in significant ways to reduce pest damage to 

crops, and reduce their reproductive potential. Azadirachtin affects insect physiology by mimicking a natural hormone. It 

has been shown to affect egg production and hatching rates. Azadirachtin can inhibit moulting, preventing larvae from 

developing into pupae. Many foliage-feeding species avoid plants treated with neem compounds or cease eating after 

ingesting the neem. Its has proven effective as an antifeedant on about 100 insect species. Thus the extracts work 

especially well to protect plants from defoliation without affecting beneficial pollinating insects like honeybees. 

Overall tests of neem extracts have shown results on about 300 insect species, mostly in orders Coleoptera (beetles 

and weevils); Dictyoptera (cockroaches and mantids); Diptera (flies); Heteroptera (true bugs); Homoptera (aphids, leaf 

hoppers wasps and ants); Isoptera (termites); Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies); Orthoptera (grasshoppers, katydids); 

Siphonaptera (fleas); and Thysanoptera (thrips). Crudely produced neem extracts can also provide excellent control on 

caterpillars and beetle larvae. 

A traditional agricultural practice involves the production of ‘neem tea’. The seeds are dried, crushed and soaked in 

water overnight to produce a liquid pesticide that can be applied directly to crops. Crushed seed kernels are also used 

as a dry pesticide application, especially to control stem borers on young plants. These homemade remedies are often 

very effective in repelling pests or acting on insects as a feeding deterrent. The strength of homemade preparations can 

vary due to the concentration of azadirachtin and other compounds in the seed, which can in turn depends on the 

genetic source of the seeds. It can also be affected by the process of handling and drying the seeds, contaminants in 

the water, and exposure to high temperatures or sunlight. The active compounds break down quickly, so an application 

of neem tea generally provides protection for only about 1 week. 

Neem extracts may have toxic effects on fish and other aquatic wildlife and on some beneficial insects. Therefore, care 

should be taken that any unused extracts are disposed of by exposing them to heat or sunlight to break down the active 

compounds. 

Medicine: Neem has proved effective against certain fungi that infect humans. In a laboratory study, neem preparations 

showed toxicity to cultures of 14 common fungi. The tree has suppressed several species of pathogenic bacteria, 

including Salmonella typhosa and Staphylococus aureus. Various parts of A. indica have anthelmintic, antiperiodic, 

antiseptic, diuretic and purgative actions, and are also used to treat boils, pimples, eye diseases, hepatitis, leprosy, 

rheumatism, scrofula, ringworm and ulcers. Leaf teas are used to treat malaria. People use the twigs as toothbrushes, 

and dentists find twigs effective in preventing periodontal disease. Neem oil is a powerful spermicide and can therefore 

be used as an inexpensive birth control method. A neem oil-based product, Sensal, is being marketed in India as an 

intravaginal contraceptive. Neem oil has been used traditionally as a topical treatment for skin symptoms in both 

humans and livestock, but it should not be ingested orally. 

SERVICES 


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Erosion control: Being drought resistant with a well-developed root system capable of extracting nutrient from the lower 

soil levels, it is a suitable tree for dune-fixation 

Shade or shelter: The large crown of A. indica makes it an effective shade tree, planted widely as an avenue tree in 

towns and villages and along roads in many tropical countries. Because of its low branching, it is a valuable asset for 

use as a windbreak. 

Soil improver: Farmers in India use neem cake (the residue left after extracting oil from the seeds) as an organic 

manure and soil amendment. It is believed to enhance the efficiency of nitrogen fertilizers by reducing the rate of 

nitrification and inhibiting soil pests including nematodes, fungi, and insects. A. indica leaves and small twigs are used 

as mulch and green manure. 

Intercropping: Intercropping A. indica with pearl millet, Pennisetum glaucum, has given good results in India. 


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TREE MANAGEMENT 

Weeding of A. indica plantations in dry areas is essential, as the tree cannot withstand competition, especially from 

grasses. It responds well to chemical and organic fertilizers. Trees coppice freely, and early growth from coppice is 

faster than growth from seedlings. A. indica withstands pollarding well, but seed production is adversely affected when 

trees are lopped for fodder. 

GERMPLASM MANAGEMENT 

Seed storage behaviour is probably intermediate. Viability is reduced from 85% to 60% after 1 month hermetic air-dry 

storage at room temperature and to 45% at 6 deg. C. There are about 4000-4500 seeds/kg. 

PESTS AND DISEASES 

A. indica has few serious pests, but several scale insects have been reported to infest it, for example Aonidiella 

orientalis (feeding on sap of young branches and young stems), which is the most important pest, and Pulvinaria 

maxima (feeding on sap and covering tender shoots and stems); the nymphs of Helopeltis antonii also feed on the sap; 

in India, a shoot borer damages the plant. Occasional infestations by Micotermes and Lorantus species of insects have 

been recorded in Nigeria, but the attacked tree almost invariably recovers. Rats and porcupines attack and 

occasionally kill A. indica seedlings and trees by gnawing the bark around the base. 

Mistletoes that affect A. indica are Dendrophtoe falcata and Tapinanthus spp. There are no records of fungi attacking 

A. indica in Southeast Asia. In India and elsewhere, Psuedocercospora subsesessilis is the most common fungus 

attacking the leaves, causing the shothole effect. In India, the bacterium Pseudomonas azadirachtae may damage 

leaves. 

Neem decline has been observed in Niger where the main symptom is an abnormal loss of leaves followed by dieback 

of branches in severe cases. 


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FURTHER READNG 

Abbas B, El-Tayeb AE, Sulleiman YR. 1992. Calotropis procera: feed potential for arid zones. Veterinary-Record. 

131(6):132. 

Albrecht J. ed. 1993. Tree seed hand book of Kenya. GTZ Forestry Seed Center Muguga, Nairobi, Kenya. 

Anon. 1986. The useful plants of India. Publications & Information Directorate, CSIR, New Delhi, India. 

Bein E. 1996. Useful trees and shrubs in Eritrea. Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU), Nairobi, Kenya. 

Bekele-Tesemma A, Birnie A, Tengnas B. 1993. Useful trees and shrubs for Ethiopia. Regional Soil Conservation Unit 

(RSCU), Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA). 

Birnie A. 1997. What tree is that? A beginner's guide to 40 trees in Kenya. Jacaranda designs Ltd. 

Boa ER. 1995. A guide to the identification of diseases and pests of neem (Azadirachta indica). FAO, Bangkok. 

Childs FJ et.al. 2001. Improvement of Neem and its potential benefits to poor farmers. HYDRA Publishing. 

Fahmudin Agus, Subekti Rahayu. 2004. Mimba Azadirachta indica dan manfaatnya. 

Faridah Hanum I, van der Maesen LJG (eds.). 1997. Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 11. Auxillary Plants. 

Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Netherlands. 

Hocking D. 1993. Trees for Drylands. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. New Delhi. 

Hong TD, Linington S, Ellis RH. 1996. Seed storage behaviour: a compendium. Handbooks for Genebanks: No. 4. 

IPGRI. 

ICRAF. 1992. A selection of useful trees and shrubs for Kenya: Notes on their identification, propagation and 

management for use by farming and pastoral communities. ICRAF. 

Katende AB et al. 1995. Useful trees and shrubs for Uganda. Identification, Propagation and Management for 

Agricultural and Pastoral Communities. Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU), Swedish International Development 

Authority (SIDA). 

Kayastha BP. 1985. Silvics of the trees of Nepal. Community Forest Development Project, Kathmandu. 

Lemmens RHMJ, Soerianegara I, Wong WC (eds.). 1995. Plant Resources of South-east Asia. No 5(2). Timber trees: 

minor commercial timbers. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden. 

Mbuya LP et al. 1994. Useful trees and shrubs for Tanzania: Identification, Propagation and Management for 

Agricultural and Pastoral Communities. Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU), Swedish International Development 

Authority (SIDA). 

National Academy of Sciences. 1980. Firewood crops. National Academy Press. Washington D.C. 

National Academy of Sciences. 1981. Fuelwood crops, shrub and tree species for energy production. National Academy 

Press. Washington D.C. 

National Research Council. 1992. Neem. A tree for solving global problems. National Academy Press, Washington D. C. 

Noad T, Birnie A. 1989. Trees of Kenya. General Printers, Nairobi. 

Parkash R, Hocking D. 1986. Some favourite trees for fuel and fodder. Society for promotion of wastelands 

development, New Delhi, India. 

Perry LM. 1980. Medicinal plants of East and South East Asia : attributed properties and uses. MIT Press. South East 

Asia. 

Roshetko JM and Evans DO. 1997. Domestication of Agroforestry trees in Southeast Asia. Yogyakarta, Indonesia. 

Singh RV. 1982. Fodder trees of India. Oxford & IBH Co. New Delhi, India. 

Stoney C. 1998. Use of neem as a biological pest control agent. A publication of the Forest, Farm, and Community Tree 

Network (FACT Net). Winrock International, Morrilton, Arkansas, USA. 

Timyan J. 1996. Bwa Yo: important trees of Haiti. South-East Consortium for International Development. Washington 

D.C. 

Vogt K. 1995. A field guide to the identification, propagation and uses of common trees and shrubs of dryland Sudan. 

SOS Sahel International (UK). 

Williams R.O & OBE. 1949. The useful and ornamental plants in Zanzibar and Pemba. Zanzibar Protectorate. 


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SUGGESTED CITATION 

Orwa C, Mutua A , Kindt R , Jamnadass R, Simons A. 2009. Agroforestree Database:a tree reference and selection guide 

version 4.0 (http://www.worldagroforestry.org/af/treedb/) 


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Azadirachta indica Meliaceae A. Juss. - World Agroforestry Centre

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