India is playing a crucial role in development of neem
as pesticide in agriculture and pest control industry.
Neem in India is used for many purposes
Veterinary medicine
Unani medicine
Cosmetics
Malaria control
- public health
CROP PROTECTION AGENT
Nitrogen efficiency
Agro-forestry
Silviculture
Ayurvedic medicine
Ancient medicine
Agriculture
Modren medicine
Antifertility and other medical application
The generic epithet Azadirachta is derived from Azad-Darakth, the name of Melia azedarach
to which neem is allied. The first edition of Species Plantarum by Linnaeus (1753) contains
two representatives of the family Meliaceae, Melia azedarach and Azadirachta indica.
Linnaeus renamed Azadirachta indica as Melia azadirachta. Neem was separated from the
genus Melia to Azadirachta by A. de Jussieu in 1830 on account of its ‘one-called, one-
seeded nut’. De Candolle and Harms. Bentham and Hooker in their Genera Plantarum
merged Azadirachta into the genus Melia and included it in tribe Melieae. Harms divided
Meliaceae into three sub-families, Cedreloideae, Swieteniodeae and Melioideae. The sub-
family Melioideae was further divided into six tribes. Azadirachta was included in the tribe
Azadirachtieae and Melia in the tribe Melieae. In 1940 Harms reduced the number of tribes in
the sub-family Melioideae to five, by removing Azadirachtieae and treated Azadirachta and
Melia in the same tribe Melieae.
Morphologically and anatomically,
Azadirachta and Melia are closely related.
However there are distinct characters by
which they can be delimited, Melia has as
pair of orbicular glands at the base of the
petiole, whereas Azadirachta has, in addition,
a pair of linear glands below the orbicular
glands. In Melia the ovary is 2-6 locular,
sometimes with 4-10 ovules in two rows.
Kribs has classified Meliaceae on the basis
of anatomy of secondary xylem. Melia differs
from Azadirachta in having ring porous
secondary xylem with minute pores forming a
wavy tangential band when viewed in cross
section. Kribs states that ‘with the exception
of Azadirachta integrifolia the species of
Azadirachta are synonyms of Melia.