Curry Leaf Tree - Murraya Koenigii

[Pixar]

The curry tree, Murraya koenigii or Bergera koenigii, is a tropical and sub-tropical tree in the family Rutaceae (the rue family, which includes rue, citrus, and satinwood), native to Asia.[4] The plant is also sometimes called sweet neem, though M. koenigii is in a different family to neem, Azadirachta indica, which is in the related family Meliaceae.

Its leaves, known as curry leaves, are used in many dishes in the Indian subcontinent.

 

[Pixar]

Update picture Spring 2024

 

[ducreamious]

Nice. Cool tree. Looks like compound leaves, that is the only issue that I see

 

[Pixar]

The reason for the large bulb in the trunk is that I tied a knot in the tree when it was young ( less that 3 months old )

 

[NashsMan]

I have a 7 foot tall one that goes into my greenhouse for the winter. I got it because I love to cook Indian dishes. I've always dismissed the idea of having it as a bonsai tree because of the compound leaves.

 

[Pixar]

I;ve got so many growing here in New Zealand we use it for all sorts of things

 

[tanlu]

Brilliant. I love the idea of growing bonsai with species of culinary value. I’ve always wanted to grow the curry leaf tree as a fun house plant/herb since I toss them in my lentils and chicken dishes sometimes. I’d love to see what people here have done with them. I have yet to see convincing bonsai with this species, but no big deal. There are actually many large leafed plants that Japanese use to make literati style bonsai, like sumac, dogwood, or larger leafed maples. They end up looking poetic and beautiful on their own right.

 

[Pixar]

Photo of one of Curry leaf today