Curry Patta

Curry Leaves

Local name: ‘Curry Patta’

Scientific name: Murraya koenigii  (L.) Spreng

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxonomic Position According to Cronquist (1981)

 

KingdomPlantae
DivisionMagnoliophyta
ClassMagnoliopsida
OrderSapindales
FamilyRutaceae
GenusMurraya
SpeciesM. koenigii

 

Botanical Description of Curry Leaves

Habit: Perennial  small tree, growing 4–6 m.

Karipata Plant

Root: Tap root system

Stem:  Around 13–20 feet tall, with a trunk up to 40 cm (16 in) diameter.

Leaf: The aromatic leaves are pinnate, with 11–21 leaflets, each leaflet 2–4 cm (0.79–1.57 in) long and 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) broad.

Flower: The plant produces small white flowers which can self-pollinate.

Fruit:  Small shiny-black berries containing a single, large viable seed.

Fruit Karipata

Economic Importance

  • Widely used as spices where the leaves are highly valued as seasoning in southern and west-coast Indian cuisine, and Sri Lankan cuisine especially in curries, usually fried along with the chopped onion in the first stage of the preparation.
  • Also used as medicine

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *