# Moringa (Moringa oleifera)

> A small, fast, deciduous tree to about 8 m with an open umbrella crown, feathery leaves and long 'drumstick' pods. Its leaves are an exceptionally nutritious vegetable, the pods and seed oil are edible and crushed seed clarifies dirty water, so it is planted in home gardens and nutrition programmes across Africa and South Asia. The wood is soft and the tree is short-lived, but it resprouts after cutting or frost.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/moringa-oleifera · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: Drumstick tree, Horseradish tree, Ben oil tree
- Family: Moringaceae
- Type: Broadleaf, drops leaves
- Mature height: 8 m; spread 5 m
- Growth: Fast growing; lives about 20 years
- Light: Full sun
- Water: Low water
- Soil: Well-drained clay or clay loam of neutral to slightly acid pH; growth is stunted where the water table is high
- Native range: Native to the sub-Himalayan tracts of north-west India and Pakistan (WCVP); ICRAF also lists Arabia; now naturalised throughout the tropics.

**Benefits:** Edible, Fast canopy, Drought tolerant, Fits small spaces, Pollinators

**Good for:** Food, Small yard, Agroforestry, Hedgerow

**Watch out for:** Weak wood, Short lived

## Care

Sow or plant cuttings at the start of the rains; it reaches 2.5 m in one to three months. Top regularly at 1.5 m to keep leaves within reach and the tree bushy. Water in prolonged drought for better leaf yield. Root rot in wet ground, powdery mildew and hairy caterpillars are the main problems. A freeze kills it to the ground but it regrows.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** India (Sub-Himalayan north-west India); Pakistan
- **Adapted:** Ethiopia (Introduced; widely planted for food); Kenya (Introduced); Nigeria (Introduced); Senegal (Introduced); Tanzania (Introduced); FL, United States (Introduced per WCVP; not on the FISC list)

## Sources

- https://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb2/speciesprofile.php?Spid=1169
- https://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Moringa_oleifera.PDF
- https://www.gbif.org/species/3054181