Curry Leaf Plant

By Roby Jose Ciju

Botanical name of curry leaf plant is Murraya koenigii. It belongs to the family Rutaceace, the citrus family. Curry leaf plant is tropical to subtropical in growth habit. It is grown as a perennial plant which when grown in an open space, grows into a small tree of up to 5 meters in height; while growing in containers and greenhouses, it grows into a small bushy shrub of up to 2.5 meters in height.
Curry leaf plant is a leafy-spice crop grown for its fresh, aromatic leaves. Fresh curry leaves, sometimes dried and frozen curry leaves also, are used as a flavouring agent and tastemaker in many South Asian food preparations. Curry leaf plant is not a widely-grown commercial crop. Uses of curry leaves are limited to ethnic communities belonging to South East Asian regions comprising of India, Srilanka and Burma.

• Language: English
• Publisher: agrihortico
• Release date: May 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463787953

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Curry Leaf Plant: An Introduction

Curry leaf plant is also known as curry tree and it is mainly grown for its aromatic leaves which are used as a spice, an herb and as a leafy vegetable. Curry leaves have lots of medicinal and health benefits too. In Sanskrit language, curry leaf plant is known as Girinimba. Scientifically it is known as Bergera koenigii or Murraya koenigii.

Curry leaves are known for its unique taste, aroma, and medicinal properties. Fresh curry leaves, sometimes dried and frozen curry leaves also, and curry leaf powder are used as a flavouring agent and tastemaker in many South Asian food preparations. In most of the South Indian food preparations, curry leaves are an essential ingredient and are used every day in daily food items. Generally, a handful of leaves or two small sprigs are sufficient to add curry leaf-flavour to the foods.

Curry leaf plant is not a widely-grown as a commercial crop. In most of the south Asian countries, curry trees are naturally grown in the wild. Use of curry leaves is not common among all communities of people. In fact, uses of curry leaves are limited to ethnic communities belonging to South East Asian regions comprising of India, Srilanka and Burma. 

Taxonomy of Curry Leaf Plant: Detailed taxonomic classification of the curry tree is as given below:

Origin and Distribution: Curry leaf plant is believed to be originated in the region comprising of India, Sri Lanka and surrounding south Asian countries. Since curry leaf tree is a native of Indian subcontinent, it is found everywhere in India, especially growing in the backyards of almost every household in South India.

Names of Curry Leaf Plant in Different Parts of the World: As we have seen earlier, curry leaf plant is known as ‘curry tree’ in English language. This plant is known by various names in various languages. A list of names of curry leaf plant in other languages is given below:

Tulu- Bevusoppu

Portuguese- Folhas de caril

Russian- Listya karri;

Spanish- Hojas de curry

Italian- Fogli di Cari

French- Feuilles de Cari

German- Curry blatter

Various Indian Names of Curry Leaf Plant: Curry leaf plant is known by different names in different parts of India. A list of these Indian names is given below:

Kannada- Karibevu

Hindi- Karipatta, Mithanim

Tamil- Kariveppilai

Malayalam- Kariveppu

Marathi- Kadhilimb

Telugu- Karepeku

Gujarathi- Mitho limado

Growth Habit of Curry Leaf Plant: Curry leaf plant is tropical to subtropical in growth habit and is a deciduous shrub by nature. It is grown as a perennial plant which when grown in an open space, grows into a small tree of up to 5 meters in height; while growing in containers and greenhouses, it grows into a small bushy shrub of up to 2.5 - 3 meters in height.

Description of Plant Trunk or Stem: Trunk or stem of curry tree is semi-hard, short and smooth. Its bark is gray, brown, dark brown or black in colour, depending upon the growing location and growing environment.

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Figure 1: Leaves of Curry Leaf Plant

Description of Leaves: Curry leaf plant has bipinnately, compound leaves with numerous leaflets, sometimes up to 24 - 25 leaflets per leaf. Leaves are highly aromatic but slightly bitter in taste. Each compound leaf is about 25-30 cm in length and each leaflet is about 2.5 to 3 cm in length. Leaflets are ovate-lanceolate shaped and leaf margins are smooth. Leaf petiole is about 3 mm in length.

Description of Flowers: Curry tree blooms during summers in tropics. Flowering season is April to May. During flowering season, curry tree bears numerous small, funnel-shaped, white fragrant flowers in terminal cymes. Each cyme inflorescence will be having 60-90 flowers. Flowers are bisexual and stalked.

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