Azadirachta indica
Neem, margosa, Indian lilac, bead tree: in India, it is sometimes called “the village pharmacy,” since every part of it has found a use over the centuries. Its branches were traditionally used as chew sticks, and its dense shade still shelters the squares of many villages across the subcontinent.
Characteristics:
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Evergreen foliage: glossy green compound leaves, providing dense shade all year round.
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Large tree: it reaches up to 20 meters in tropical climates, with rapid growth.
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Drought-resistant: once established, it tolerates dry, hot climates remarkably well.
Precautions:
- A strictly tropical tree, it cannot tolerate frost: in mainland France, it must be grown in a pot, conservatory, or heated greenhouse, with the option of placing it outdoors in summer. It requires a minimum temperature of 10–15 °C at all times.
- Do not consume any part of the plant: its traditional uses involve specific preparations and should not be improvised.
Sowing advice:
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Position: full sun, with plenty of heat and light.
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Soil: rich, sandy, or stony, and above all very well drained. It tolerates poor and even slightly saline soils, but absolutely cannot tolerate standing water, which causes its roots to rot. In a pot, use a mixture of potting soil, sand, and gravel.
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Method: no cold stratification — this tropical seed requires constant warmth instead. It quickly loses its ability to germinate: sow it as soon as you receive it, after soaking it for 24 hours in lukewarm water, 1 cm deep, in a substrate kept moist at 25–30 °C. See how to sow your seeds.
Care advice:
- Water regularly during the first few years, then much less frequently: the tree becomes highly drought-tolerant.
- Overwinter in a warm, bright location, significantly reducing watering.
Benefits for biodiversity:
- Its small, fragrant white flowers are highly attractive to bees and produce prized honey in its native range.
- In arid regions, it is widely planted to combat desertification, stabilize soil, and create shaded areas where other crops can be grown.
Uses:
- Grown ornamentally in pots or conservatories in our climates; used as a windbreak and shade tree in warm regions.
- A major plant in traditional Indian medicine, used for thousands of years in Ayurveda. See our medicinal plants to sow.
- Its seeds produce neem oil, used in natural cosmetics.
Symbolism:
In India, neem is associated with the goddess Shitala and regarded as a protective tree: its leaves are hung on doors during certain ceremonies, and it is traditionally planted near homes.
Harvesting your own seeds:
Its fruits, resembling small yellow olives when ripe, each contain one seed. Carefully remove the pulp, rinse, and sow without delay: neem seeds keep for only a few weeks. See how to store your seeds.
Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for all living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Auvergne Volcanoes, we choose reproducible, non-hybrid varieties, tested for their germination rate, carefully sorted and packaged, with no chemical treatment whatsoever. Our belief: to give gardeners back the ability to resow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.
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