Azadirachta indica (Neem Tree)


  • TropPlant Accession Number (TPAN): 0082 
  • Botanical Name: Azadirachta indica
  • Common Name: Neem Tree, Indian Lilac, Nim Tree
  • Cultivar: N/A
  • Family: Meliaceae
  • Native To: India
Azadirachta indica
Photo by Matthew Gaston

Landscaping Information

    • Plant Type: Tree
    • Texture: Dense, Coarse
    • Form: Upright-Broad to Weeping/Pendent
    • Height (on average, in landscape use): 30'-50''
    • Height to Spread Ratio: 2:1
    • Growth Rate: Rather Fast
    • Landscape Values: Accent, Street Tree, Background, Mass, Shade, Sculptural Form, Specimen, Windbreak, Erosion Control
    • Outstanding Quality: Form/Silhouette, Foliage Characters
    By Bing Crosby
    Azadirachta indica 
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Botanical Descriptions

    • Flowers: Small, white, (allegedly) fragrant flowers arranged on an axillary panicle.  

    Azadirachta indica inflorescence
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Azadirachta indica inflorescence
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    • Fruits: 0.5"-0.75" long yellow drupe. 
    Azadirachta indica fruit
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    • Foliage Color: Young/immature: Bronze to Reddish. Mature: dark green, to blue-green.
    • Leaflet Tip: Aristate
    • Leaflet Base: Oblique
    • Petiole: 2.5'-4"
    • Stipules: N/A
    • Leaflet Margins: Serrate
    • Leaf Arrangement: Opposite
    • Leaf let Shape: Falcate (Sickle shaped)
    • Leaf Type: Once, Oddly Pinnate, Leaflet #: 9-19 
    • Leaf Texture: Smooth, near leathery
    • Leaf Special Notes: Interesting leaf structure as it is not commonly observed in the landscape.
    Azadirachta indica adaxial leaf surface
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Azadirachta indica abaxial leaf surface
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Azadirachta indica adaxial leaflet surface
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Azadirachta indica abaxial leaflet surface
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    • Bark and Trunk: Gray to beige colored rough bark, crackling with rust color.
    Azadirachta indica trunk
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Horticultural Information

      • Light Preference: Full Sun
      • Light Tolerances: Semi-Sun
      • Soil Preferences: Slightly Acidic, Dry (Mesic)
      • Tolerances: Moderate Winds, Drought
      • Water Requirements: Can tolerate drought once established, prefers moderate moisture.
      • Notes on Maintenance: Grows rapidly, mostly pest free. Hundreds of thousands of seeds produced annually. These are readily spread by birds. Compounded with the rapid growth rate, these trees are considered weedy and invasive. Learn more about Neem and the efforts in Queensland here.
      • Propagation: Seeds, Cutting
      • Minimum USDA Hardiness Zone: 9a
      • Weed Risk Assessment Score (WRA): 9, High Risk 

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