Murraya koenigii Seeds | Curry Leaf

Curry leaf plant with glossy pinnate leaflets and clusters of small white flowers — Curry Leaf (*Murraya koenigii*): Rutaceae, dry forest of India and Sri Lanka.

LATIN NAME: Murraya koenigii

COMMON NAME: Curry Leaf

Plant Profile

Curry leaf is a small evergreen tree of the citrus family from India and Sri Lanka, grown across South and Southeast Asia for leaves that are the defining flavour of South Indian cooking. It reaches two to four metres with a slender trunk, smooth grey bark and pinnate leaves of eleven to twenty-one glossy, dark green leaflets that are strongly aromatic when crushed. Small white flowers open in clusters in summer, followed by small, oval, black berries that are sweet and edible. The plant suckers freely from the roots and forms thickets in the wild, and it is often grown in a pot or a courtyard where the leaves can be picked fresh. The aroma is resinous, citrusy and unlike anything else in the kitchen.

Science & Biotechnology

The aroma of curry leaf comes from a complex of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, with alpha-pinene, sabinene and caryophyllene dominant, together with a sulfurous note that develops when the leaves are fried in oil. The leaves also contain carbazole alkaloids, including koenimbine and mahanimbine, which have been studied for anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity in vitro, and the seed contains a fixed oil. The species is in the same family as citrus, and it is one of the few Rutaceae grown as a culinary herb rather than for fruit. Seed is recalcitrant and loses viability within days of harvest, which is why the plant is usually propagated by root suckers or cuttings. It is frost-tender and needs heat to thrive, and it grows poorly below fifteen degrees.

Uses & Benefits

The leaves are used whole or chopped as a flavouring in dal, curries, chutneys and rice dishes, fried in oil at the start of cooking to release the aroma, and they are used in Ayurvedic medicine for digestive complaints and for diabetes. The berries are edible and sweet, and the bark and root have a place in traditional medicine. In the garden the plant is grown as a container specimen, a courtyard tree and a source of fresh leaves, and it is also used as a host plant for swallowtail butterflies. It needs full sun to partial shade, rich soil and regular water, and it should be protected from frost. The leaves are best used fresh, since they lose their aroma quickly when dried.

Growing from Seed

Sow fresh seed within a few days of harvest, since it does not keep, in a rich, free-draining mix, one centimetre deep. Keep at twenty-five to thirty degrees with high humidity; germination takes two to four weeks. The seedling is slow and should be grown in a pot for its first two years. Grow on in bright light with steady water and a monthly feed in summer. Plant out only in a frost-free site, or keep the plant in a large container and move it under cover for winter. Prune to keep it bushy and to encourage new leaves, and remove the flower spikes if leaf production matters more than fruit. Watch for scale insects and for root suckers.

Our Take

The curry leaf of South Indian cooking, and a plant that must be grown from fresh seed or a sucker. Heat, sun and a pot for winter.

Tree Seeds