{"slug":"azadirachta-indica","scientific_name":"Azadirachta indica","common_names":["Neem","Nim","Margosa","Indian lilac"],"family":"Meliaceae","type":"broadleaf_evergreen","mature_height_m":15,"mature_spread_m":10,"growth_rate":"fast","lifespan_years":200,"hardiness_zones":[10,12],"sun":"full","water":"low","soil":"Wide range of neutral to alkaline soils, best at pH 6.2-7; thrives on shallow stony or sandy ground; dies in waterlogged soil","native_range":"Native to the Indian subcontinent and mainland South-East Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam); WCVP treats India as introduced while ICRAF and Indian sources list it native.","description":"A tough, usually evergreen shade tree of about 15 m (to 30 m) with a dense round crown of glossy pinnate leaves, honey-scented flowers and olive-like fruit. Neem lines village streets and roads across India and the Sahel, giving shade, firewood, fodder and the natural insecticide azadirachtin from its seed. It is a wonder tree at home but a declared weed in Australia's Northern Territory, where it invades riverbeds, and it naturalises in Queensland and parts of West Africa.","care":"Plant at the start of the rains in full sun and keep weed-free for two years; it will not tolerate grass competition or waterlogging. Water sparingly after the first season. Coppices and pollards well; lopping for fodder reduces seed. Scale insects, a shoot borer and mistletoe are the main pests; rats gnaw seedling bark. Seedlings are frost tender.","benefits":["shade","drought_tolerant","fast_canopy","pollinators","windbreak","birds"],"uses":["street_tree","yard_shade","agroforestry","windbreak","timber"],"cautions":["invasive_elsewhere","heavy_litter"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Neem_Tree_in_Rajasthan%2C_India.jpg","image_credit":"Wikimedia Commons, file Neem_Tree_in_Rajasthan,_India.jpg (see file page for author and licence)","sources":["https://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb2/speciesprofile.php?Spid=271","https://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Azadirachta_indica.PDF","https://nt.gov.au/environment/weeds/weeds-in-the-nt/A-Z-list-of-weeds-in-the-NT/neem","https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/biosecurity/plants/invasive/other/neem-tree","https://www.gbif.org/species/3190474","https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=282701"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/azadirachta-indica","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/azadirachta-indica.md","regions":[{"country":"BD","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3190474"},{"country":"IN","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Native per ICRAF and Indian authorities (WCVP records it as introduced); planted in every state","source_url":"https://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb2/speciesprofile.php?Spid=271"},{"country":"MM","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3190474"},{"country":"PK","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Per ICRAF","source_url":"https://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb2/speciesprofile.php?Spid=271"},{"country":"TH","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3190474"},{"country":"AU","region":"QLD","locality":null,"status":"adapted","note":"Not a prohibited or restricted invasive plant under the Biosecurity Act 2014 but naturalising in Gulf riverbeds; general biosecurity obligation applies","source_url":"https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/biosecurity/plants/invasive/other/neem-tree"},{"country":"GH","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"adapted","note":"Introduced","source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3190474"},{"country":"KE","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"adapted","note":"Introduced; widely planted on the coast","source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3190474"},{"country":"NG","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"adapted","note":"Introduced; the main shade tree of the Sahel","source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3190474"},{"country":"SN","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"adapted","note":"Introduced","source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3190474"},{"country":"AU","region":"NT","locality":null,"status":"prohibited","note":"Declared Class B (growth and spread to be controlled) and Class C (not to be introduced) weed under the Weeds Management Act 2001; illegal to buy, sell or transport plants or seeds","source_url":"https://nt.gov.au/environment/weeds/weeds-in-the-nt/A-Z-list-of-weeds-in-the-NT/neem"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}