Moringa Oleifera - Miracle Tree
Scientific: Moringa oleifera
Common: moringa, drumstick tree, horseradish tree, benzolive tree
Family: Moringaceae
Origin: northern India, but has naturalized in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide
Pronounciation: Mo-RIN-ga o-lay-i-FER-a
Hardiness zones
Sunset 12-24
USDA 9 (might freeze to ground in winter)-11
Landscape Use: For oasis and xeric landscape style themes as a quick growing large shrub to tree, screen, food gardens.
Type & Character: Upright and VERY FAST, brittle, stiff to spreading out with age, big shrub to small tree, dry.
Development Habit: Evergreen woody seasonal tree, stiffly branched, quick growth rate to 20 to 40 feet high with somewhat less than equivalent spread, wood is of low density, breakable, stems produce popular lenticles.
Foliage/Texture: Large, dull green, two times to thrice pinnately compound leaves, leaflets little, ovate; medium coarse texture.
Flowers & Fruits: Flowers are clustered in terminal panicles, cream white petals with yellow centers, fragrant and hermaphroditic; fruits are elongated pods, green ripening to light brown, seeds dark brown and rounded.
Seasonal Color: Not much, however in Phoenix, cream white flowers mostly in later spring, however episodically throughout the late summer to early fall if summertime monsoon rains are abundant.
Temperature level: Heat caring and frost delicate. Shoots are harmed by temperature levels below 30oF.
Light: Full sun
Soil: Tolerant of a wide range of well-drained soil types and conditions, however chooses a somewhat acidic to somewhat alkaline soil, pH variety from 6 to 8.
Watering: Moringa is rather dry spell tolerant, however responds rapidly to the existence of water with fast development. In Phoenix, utilize extra irrigation frequency and amounts as a reliable ways to manage moringa growth rate.
Pruning: Moringa form and development practice is easily controlled by a variety of pruning strategies ranging from crown raising and thinning to stooling.
Propagation: Easily propagated by seed or vegetative stem cuttings.
Illness and Pests: None
Additional remarks: Moringa is a famous plant of many usages. It is an edible plant that is cultivated in all tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world and is effective in dealing with hyperglycemia. In Phoenix, moringa is presently an eccentric and stylish plant for hippy metropolitan garden farmers to have in their property house landscapes.
The genus name Moringa means "twisted pod", referring to the young fruit.
