Drought tolerant Moringa oleifera

Moringa oleifera is a deciduous tree occasionally growing up to 15 m in height, but is usually less than 10 m tall.  It an grow at a remarkable rate when young, with 3–4 m of growth in the first year.  All parts of the moringa tree – bark, pods, leaves, nuts, seeds, tubers, roots, and flowers – are edible. 

It has a large underground rootstock and normally a single main trunk with a wide, open and typically umbrella-shaped crown. The trunk is generally 10–45 cm wide and covered in a palegrey bark, but may occasionally reach up to 60 cm in diameter. 

Nutritional Content 

The plant is a good source of vitamins C and A, more potassium than bananas, more beta carotene than carrots, and hight in protein.  Morninga can often be seen sold in a powder form as a superfood supplement.

The leaves are used fresh or dried and ground into powder. The seed pods are picked while still green and eaten fresh or cooked. Moringa seed oil is sweet, non-sticking, non-drying and resists rancidity, while the cake from seed is used to purify drinking water. The seeds are also be eaten green, roasted, powdered and steeped for tea or used in curries.