Introduction PDF Print E-mail

Neem along the highways

Neem or Margosa is a botanical cousin of mahogany. It belongs to the family Meliaceae. The latinized name of Neem - Azadirachta indica - is derived from the Persian:

Azad = Free,
dirakht = Tree,
i - Hind = of Indian Origin

which literally means:
‘The Free Tree of India’.

Neem is an attractive broad-leaved, evergreen tree which can grow up to 30m tall and 2.5m in girth. Its trunk usually straight is 30-80 cm in diameter. Its spreading branches form a rounded crown of deep-green leaves and honey-scented flowers as much as 20m across.