Moringa oleifera

Moringa oleifera
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Moringaceae
Genus: Moringa
Species:
M. oleifera
Binomial name
Moringa oleifera
Synonyms
List
  • Guilandina moringa L.
  • Anoma moringa (L.) Lour.
  • Hyperanthera moringa (L.) Vahl
  • Hyperanthera decandra Willd.
  • Moringa amara Durin
  • Moringa domestica Buch.-Ham.
  • Moringa edulis Medik.
  • Moringa erecta Salisb.
  • Moringa nux-eben Desf.
  • Moringa octogona Stokes
  • Moringa polygona DC.
  • Moringa robusta Bojer
  • Moringa sylvestris Buch.-Ham.
  • Moringa zeylanica Pers.

Moringa oleifera is a short-lived, fast-growing, drought-resistant tree of the family Moringaceae, native to northern India and used extensively in South and Southeast Asia. Common names include moringa, drumstick tree (from the long, slender, triangular seed-pods), horseradish tree (from the taste of the roots, which resembles horseradish), or malunggay (as known in maritime or archipelagic areas in Asia).

It is widely cultivated for its young seed pods and leaves, used as vegetables and for traditional herbal medicine. It is also used for water purification.