Moringa Oleifera

Moringa oleifera
Family: Moringaceae

Common names
Drum Stick tree
Golden shower tree

 
Description
Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing tree that can reach a height of 10–12 m. The bark has a whitish-grey colour and is surrounded by thick cork. Young shoots have purplish or greenish-white, hairy bark.
The flowers are fragrant and bisexual, surrounded by five unequal, thinly veined, yellowish-white petals. They grow on slender, hairy stalks in spreading or drooping flower clusters which have a length of 10–25 cm.
The fruit is a hanging, three-sided brown capsule of 20–45 cm size which holds dark brown, globular seeds with a diameter around 1 cm.
Distribution
India is the largest producer of moringa.
More generally, moringa grows in the wild or is cultivated in central America, the Carabbean, northern countries of South America, africa. Southeast Asia.
Cultural value
Moringa trees have been used to combat malnutrition, especially among infants and nursing mothers. Since moringa thrives in arid and semiarid environments, it may provide a versatile, nutritious food source throughout the year. Moringa leaves have been proposed as an iron-rich food source (31% Daily Value per 100 g consumed, table) to combat iron defiency.
Growing Moringa oleifera
Moringa trees can also be cultivated in alleys, as natural fences and associated with other crops. The distance between Moringa rows in an agroforestry cultivation is usually between 2 and 4 meters.