Curry leaf (Murraya koenigii, Rutaceae) is an important leafy vegetable and the leaves are widely used in Indian cookery for flavouring foodstuffs. The leaves have a slightly pungent, bitter and feebly acidic taste, and they retain their flavour and other qualities even after drying. Curry leaf is also used in many of the Indian ayurvedic and unani prescriptions. The plant originated in the Tarai region of Uttar Pradesh, India, and at present it is cultivated in Burma, Ceylon, China, Australia and the Pacific Islands. The crop is usually propagated by seeds. A volatile oil, curry leaf oil, produced from the plant has uses in the soap industry. There is need to conserve the variability in the plant to prevent extinction of desirable types.