Moringa (genus)

''Moringa'' is the sole genus in the plant family Moringaceae. It contains 13 species from tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia that range in size from tiny herbs to massive trees. ''Moringa'' species grow quickly in many types of environments.

The most widely cultivated species is ''Moringa oleifera'', native to the foothill of the Himalayas in northwestern India, a multipurpose tree cultivated throughout the tropics and marketed as a dietary supplement, health food or source for herbalism practices. The fruit pods of ''Moringa oleifera'' ("drumsticks") are increasingly consumed as food in many parts of the world, but particularly in South Asia. The leaves are commonly used to make tea. Oils are made from the seeds, while powders can be made from the leaves and roots.

'' M. stenopetala'', an African species, is also widely grown, but to a much lesser extent than ''M. oleifera''.

The genus name is derived from ''murungai'', the Tamil word for drumstick, and in India the plant is commonly referred to as the drumstick tree.

Description

''Moringa'' is considered one of the most widely diverse genera for its size ranging from small shrubs ('' M. pygmaea'') to large pachycaul trees ('' M. ovalifolia'').

Growth habit

''Moringa'' contains a wide range of growth habits that may be subdivided into the following categories:

* Bottle (pachycaul) trees: '' M. drouhardii, M. hildebrandtii,'' '' M. ovalifolia, M. stenopetala''
* Slender trees: '' M. concanensis, M. oleifera'', '' M. peregrina''
* Sarcorhizal trees: '' M. arborea, M. ruspoliana''
* Tuberous shrubs: '' M. borziana, M. longituba, M. pygmaea, M. rivae''

Leaves

Leaves are typically pinnately compound with entire margins.

Flowers

Flowers may be either bilaterally or radially symmetric. Bottle trees typically produce small, radially symmetric flowers, while other members of the genus produce radially symmetric flowers. Most flowers range in color from white to cream to brown with the notable exception of '' M. longituba'' which produces bright red flowers.

Fruit

Fruits are typically elongate, slender, 3-valved " pods" resembling an indehiscent silique (in contrast with a true dehiscent silique). Fruits of ''M. oleifera'' ( drumstick), are a major agricultural product of India, eaten as a vegetable and used for traditional medicine.

Phytochemistry

''Moringa'' contain a number of sulfurous biochemical compounds called "mustard-oil glycosides" or glucosinolates commonly found in cruciferous vegetables of Brassicaceae. Benzyl glucosinolate along with family-specific glucomoringin and glucosoonjnain have been detected from various ''Moringa'' species and are thought to be the cause of the bitter taste in some ''Moringa'' leaves.

Taxonomy

Higher-level classification

The monotypic family, Moringaceae, containing genus ''Moringa'' has been placed in the order Brassicales according to most modern taxonomic systems, including the APG IV system. Molecular data has suggested a close relationship between Moringaceae and Caricaceae with many identifying a "Caricaceae-Moringaceae" clade within Brassicales. Prior to the availability of molecular data, morphological classification of Moringaceae placed the family in either Brassicales or Sapindales due to the unusual morphological diversity of the family.

Classification within the genus

''Moringa'' contains three widely recognized clades—Donaldsonia, Moringa, and Dysmoringa. Donaldsonia, once thought to be a subgenus of ''Moringa'', is a non-monophyletic clade identifiable by radially symmetric flowers and containing the bottle trees '' M. drouhardii, M. hildebrandtii,'' '' M. ovalifolia,'' and '' M. stenopetala.'' The Moringa clade contains all other members of genus ''Moringa'' (except ''M. longituba'') characterized by irregular floral symmetry, perigynous flowers, and short receptacles. The Dysmoringa clade contains the species ''M. longituba'' which diverges from common Moringa clade characteristics due to its long receptacle and red flowers. The exact phylogenetic relationship between members of ''Moringa'' continues to evolve with growing molecular data, though the Donaldsonia clade is consistently identified as the basalmost clade within the family.

List of species

* ''Moringa arborea'' Verdc. (indigenous to Kenya)
* ''Moringa borziana'' Mattei (indigenous to Somalia)
* ' Nimmo (indigenous to northern India)
* ''Moringa drouhardii'' Jum. – bottle tree (indigenous to southwestern Madagascar)
* ''Moringa hildebrandtii'' Engl. – Hildebrandt's moringa (indigenous to southwestern Madagascar)
* '' Moringa longituba'' Engl. (indigenous to Ethiopia and Somalia)
* ''Moringa oleifera'' Lam. (syn. ''M. pterygosperma'') – horseradish tree (indigenous to northwestern India)
* ''Moringa ovalifolia'' Dinter & Berger (indigenous to Namibia and Angola)
* ''Moringa peregrina'' ( Forssk.) Fiori indigenous to Arabian Peninsula Horn of Africa and in the Southern Sinai, Egypt
* '' Moringa pygmaea'' Verdc. (indigenous to Somalia)
* '' Moringa rivae'' Chiov. (indigenous to Kenya and Ethiopia)
* ''Moringa ruspoliana'' Engl. (indigenous to Ethiopia)
* '' Moringa stenopetala'' ( Baker f.) Cufod. (indigenous to Kenya and Ethiopia)

References

External links

Moringa Home Page
Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

The International Moringa Germplasm Collection

{{Taxonbar, from=Q310468

Brassicales genera
Edible plants