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''Azadirachta indica'', also known as Neem,〔 Nimtree,〔 and Indian Lilac〔 is a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is one of two species in the genus ''Azadirachta'', and is native to India and the Indian subcontinent including Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It is typically grown in tropical and semi-tropical regions. Neem trees now also grow in islands located in the southern part of Iran. Its fruits and seeds are the source of neem oil. ==Description== Neem is a fast-growing tree that can reach a height of , rarely to . It is evergreen, but in severe drought it may shed most or nearly all of its leaves. The branches are wide and spreading. The fairly dense crown is roundish and may reach a diameter of in old, free-standing specimens. The neem tree is very similar in appearance to its relative, the Chinaberry (''Melia azedarach''). The opposite, pinnate leaves are long, with 20 to 31 medium to dark green leaflets about long. The terminal leaflet is often missing. The petioles are short. The (white and fragrant) flowers are arranged in more-or-less drooping axillary panicles which are up to long. The inflorescences, which branch up to the third degree, bear from 150 to 250 flowers. An individual flower is long and wide. Protandrous, bisexual flowers and male flowers exist on the same individual tree. The fruit is a smooth (glabrous) olive-like drupe which varies in shape from elongate oval to nearly roundish, and when ripe is by . The fruit skin (exocarp) is thin and the bitter-sweet pulp (mesocarp) is yellowish-white and very fibrous. The mesocarp is thick. The white, hard inner shell (endocarp) of the fruit encloses one, rarely two or three, elongated seeds (kernels) having a brown seed coat. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Azadirachta indica」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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