Spices and Condiments (1+1)

Description of the plant

 
• Curry leaf is an attractive, aromatic, more or less deciduous shrub (0.9 m) or a small tree that grows upto 6 m height (in the Himalayan regions) and 15-40 cm in diameter. The bark is dark brown or almost black; the leaves are imparipinnate, with 9-25 leaflets that are ovate, lanceolate or somewhat rhomboid, irregularly crenate-dentate, acuminate, obtuse or acute. The base is usually oblique, almost glabrous above, pubescent beneath, gland dotted and strongly aromatic. The flowers are in terminal corymbose cymes, white and fragrant. The berries are sub-globose or ellipsoid, purple-black when ripe and 2-seeded. The roots are woody, widely spread and produce many suckers. The tree bears flowers from February-May and the flowers are self-pollinated, hence its variability is very limited. The diploid chromosome number is 2n=18.