Plant · P-175

Neem

Azadirachta indica

Neem is a fast-growing evergreen tree, 50 to 75 feet tall at maturity, that yields azadirachtin, a natural compound that disrupts feeding, molting and reproduction in roughly a hundred insect species without killing on contact, plus edible young leaves, seed oil, termite-proof timber and excellent firewood. It cannot tolerate any real cold - even an ordinary winter dip below about 40°F is enough to kill it - and it only reaches fruiting size as a large tree, so growing a young specimen under cover never produces the seed oil the species is grown for. Its products are toxic to poultry, with reproductive harm the worst effect in breeding birds, and raw seed cake also damages male reproduction and causes blood in the urine in ruminants unless it is properly detoxified first.