People have planted neem or margosa trees (Azadirachta indica) for centuries to reap innumerable benefits.
Their seeds are pressed to extract neem oil, a broad-spectrum pesticide known to repel and suffocate young pests, including caterpillars, beetle larvae, mealy bugs, aphids, whiteflies, and thrips.
You might've even used it to stem the spread of powdery mildew on your plants.
The residual seedcake (after oils are squeezed out) serves as a nematicide and fertilizer, enriching soils with nitrogen, calcium, potash, magnesium, and phosphorus. Many use their durable lumber to make charcoal or furniture.
Neem trees' dried leaves are used as fodder and moth repellents. They're also believed to lower soil acidity. Some birds relish their fruit, minus the seed, which works well if you're looking for seeds to propagate neem trees.
However, their biggest advantage lies in their shade-giving property, thanks to their rounded crowns. Growing over 50 feet tall, margosa trees support wide-spreading, hairless branches of asymmetric, toothed, evergreen leaves that easily withstand sun, wind, and drought.
The foliage makes way for sweet-scented, tiny, white flowers that later house olive-green to purplish edible seeds that become fully ripe in 12 weeks. Plus, they root deeply, fighting off soil erosion.