Scientific Name and Characteristics Of Neem

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Scientific name of Neem is Azadirachta indica. The neem trees have been seen in Indian continents for thousands of years. These deep rooted trees have a lot of medicinal properties. These trees are also known as the Nimba tree, Indian lilac, miracle tree, Margosa Tree. These trees are fast growing and they can reach up to 80 ft in height. Neem trees are the main sources of neem oils and other herbal medicines.

Key Terms: Neem, Neem oil, medicinal properties, taxonomy, tree, tropical tree.


Taxonomy Of Neem Tree

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Neem trees can grow in different soil and they are considered to be drought resistant. Here are the taxonomic details of the neem tree.

Domain Eukaryota
Kingdom Plantae
Phylum Spermatophyta
Subphylum Angiospermae
Class Dicotyledonae
Order Rutales
Family  Meliaceae
Genus  Azadirachta
Species Azadirachta indica

Characteristics Of Neem Tree

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Here are the basic characteristics of the Neem trees-

  • These are deep rooted, long trees that can grow on different soils easily.
  • Neem trees have medicinal and fungicidal properties.
  • It is one of the fastest growing trees that can reach up to 100 ft of height.
  • The flowers of the Neem trees are white and bisexual in nature.
  • Neem trees are drought resistant.

Neem tree

Neem Tree

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Parts Of Neem Tree

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Neem tree belongs to the Mahogany (Meliaceae) family. Scientific name of neem tree, Azadirachta indica, came from the hindi word Azad- that means free, Dirakht- that means tree, and Indica means originated from India.

Here are the parts of a neem tree-

  • Trunk/ Bark- Neem tree has a strong, straight and rough trunk. These trunks are mostly brown in color and scaly.
  • Branches/ Twigs- Neems trees are counted as an excellent shade tree because they have long spreaded branches. These branches have originated from the rounded crowns, and are up to 20 meters long.
  • Leaves- Neem trees have opposite pinnate leaves with leaf petioles. These leaves can be 20-40 cm long. Neem leaves have toothed margins.
  • Flowers- Neem flowers are white and fragmented. They appear near the joinings of stem and petiole. They usually grow in panicles that are up to 25 cm long clusters with drooping flowers. Between 150 and 250 flowers can be seen. A single flower is around 5 and 6 mm long and 8 and 11 mm wide.
  • Fruits- The neem flowers are oval in shape and mostly olive green in color. The mature neem fruits can be measured up to 1.5 to 3 cm by 1 to 1.5 cm. The matured fruits usually turn yellow. They are fibrous and include up to three seeds.

Parts of neem tree

Parts of Neem Tree


Uses Of Neem Tree

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Every single part of a neem tree has its own uses. Let’s take a look at the table below-

Part of Neem Tree Things That are Made Usefulness 
Seed Neem Oil Skin care Insect repellant
Leaves Ayurvedic Medicines Hair and Skin care Dental Care- toothpaste and mouthwash Cleanse Blood Strengthen Immune system
Barks Antiseptic and Anti Inflammatory Creams  Dental Care Fights Gingivitis
Twig Organic toothbrush Dental Care Gum care
Flower Aromatherapeutic Oil A huge Number of Health Benefits Relaxing Body and Mind
Pulp Compost Treatment of Soil Treatment of other trees

Life of Neem tree

Life Of Neem Tree

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Things To Remember

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  • Scientific name of Neem is Azadirachta indica.
  • The scientific name came from the hindi word Azad- that means free, Dirakht- that means tree, and Indica means originated from India.
  • These are deep rooted, long trees that can grow on different soils easily and have medicinal and fungicidal properties.
  • These trees are also known as the Nimba tree, Indian lilac, miracle tree, Margosa Tree.
  • Neem trees have a lot of medicinal properties like- Antiseptic and Anti Inflammatory properties.


Sample Questions

Ques. What is the scientific name of the Neem Tree? (1 Mark)

Ans. Scientific name of Neem is Azadirachta indica.

Ques. State the taxonomic details of the Neem tree. (3 Marks)

Ans. Neem trees are also known as the Nimba tree, Indian lilac, miracle tree, Margosa Tree. These trees are fast growing and they can reach up to 80 ft in height. Here are the taxonomic details of this tree-

Domain- Eukaryota

Kingdom- Plantae

Phylum- Spermatophyta

Subphylum- Angiospermae

Class- Dicotyledonae

Order- Rutales

Family- Meliaceae

Genus- Azadirachta

Species- Azadirachta indica

Ques. What are the basic features of the neem trees? (3 Marks)

Ans. Neem trees are the main sources of neem oils and other herbal medicines. Here are the basic features of this tree-

  1. Neem trees have medicinal and fungicidal properties.
  2. These are deep rooted, long trees that can grow on different soils easily.
  3. It is one of the fastest growing trees that can reach up to 100 ft of height.
  4. The flowers of the Neem trees are white and bisexual in nature.
  5. Neem trees are drought resistant.

Ques. Explain the usefulness of Neem tree. (3 Marks)

Ans. The Neem tree has a lot of health and ayurvedic uses.

  • Neem Seed:That produces Neem Oil, which is used as Skin care and Insect repellant.
  • Neem Leaves: That is used to make Ayurvedic Medicines, and helpful for Hair and Skin care, Dental Care, cleanses blood, and strengthen Immune system.
  • Neem Barks: used as antiseptic and anti inflammatory creams, fights gingivitis.
  • Neem Twig: a lot of People use these twigs as organic toothbrushes for Dental and Gum care.
  • Neem Flower: from neem flower aromatherapeutic oils can be extracted that have a huge number of health benefits.
  • Pulp: are used as compost for the treatment of soil.

Ques. Explain the parts of a Neem Tree. (5 marks)

Ans. The neem trees have been seen in Indian continents for thousands of years. Here are the parts of a neem tree-

  • Trunk/ Bark- Neem tree has a strong, straight and rough trunk. These trunks are mostly brown in color and scaly.
  • Branches/ Twigs- Neems trees are counted as an excellent shade tree because they have long spreaded branches. These branches have originated from the rounded crowns, and are up to 20 meters long.
  • Leaves- Neem trees have opposite pinnate leaves with leaf petioles. These leaves can be 20-40 cm long. Neem leaves have toothed margins.
  • Flowers- Neem flowers are white and fragmented. They appear near the joinings of stem and petiole. They usually grow in panicles that are up to 25 cm long clusters with drooping flowers. Between 150 and 250 flowers can be seen. A single flower is around 5 and 6 mm long and 8 and 11 mm wide.
  • Fruits- The neem flowers are oval in shape and mostly olive green in color. The mature neem fruits can be measured up to 1.5 to 3 cm by 1 to 1.5 cm. The matured fruits usually turn yellow. They are fibrous and include up to three seeds.

Ques. What is the etymological background of the scientific name of the Neem tree? (2 Mark)

Ans. Scientific name of Neem is Azadirachta indica. The name came from the hindi word Azad- that means free, Dirakht- that means tree, and Indica means originated from India.

Ques. What is the lifespan of a Neem tree? (1 Mark)

Ans. The lifespan of the neem tree is about 150-200 years.

Ques. How deep are neem tree roots? (1 Mark)

Ans. The stem diameter can be up to 30 to 90 cm for a neem tree.

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