Tiwi Weeds - Trees
17 hours ago
1 min read
Neem (Azadirachta indica)
NT Declaration Status: Class B
Tree to 15 m with dark red-brown bark that cracks and flakes when mature.
Leaves have a pungent smell when crushed.
Small white honey scented flowers in the early wet season.
Fruit fleshy 1-2 cm long and yellow when ripe.
A single mature tree can produce up to 50,000 seeds per year. Neem also produces suckers, facilitating the development of dense stands.
Neem outcompetes native vegetation, particularly in riparian zones, savanna woodlands, and along waterways. It forms impenetrable thickets that choke native species, spreads rapidly via seed dispersal from birds and bats, and possesses deep roots that allow it to survive seasonal droughts.