A variety of plants and flowers make-up visually appealing and useful home gardens. Curry Leaf plants make an aromatic addition to your garden as an evergreen shrub or in a container, where the leaves are readily available for use in the kitchen.
Description
Curry leaf (Murraya koenigii) is a subtropical to tropical broadleaf evergreen shrub or tree in Asia. The plant grows up to 15 feet high as aromatic shrub with thin green leaves that made up to 21 tiny 1 – to 2-inch-long leaves. Insects and diseases are usually not a problem for these plants.
Flowers and Fruits
White cone-shaped flowers bloom seasonally along the stems. The flowers grow in clusters and have a light fragrance. After the flowers, 30 to 80 fruits per flower bloom appears. When the curry plant ripens fruit turns black in color, it is edible and nutritious, containing the minerals potassium, magnesium, and iron, along with protein and calcium. The fruit contains one seed each, which is not edible.
Growth Requirements
Curry Leaf plants grow well in the open garden as small shrubs or as individual plants in pots in the warmer summer months. They thrive in containers as houseplants. They are hardy to USDA plant climate zones 10 to 12 and should be overwintered indoors in climates that are more moderate. These plants grow in moist soil with sand, clay and silt to help with drainage, and place the containers in which the plants receive full sun to partial shade mixed. Cut the plants regularly to maintain a continuous supply of fresh leaves.
Used
Curry leaves reinforce many Indian dishes with their earthy flavor and aroma that wafts from them during handling. The consistency of the leaves makes them suitable for soups, meat dishes and fish recipes, to name a few. Curry Leaf plant contain antibacterial and antifungal properties in the leaves, berries and bark, which can help with gastrointestinal problems, including vomiting.
