Moringa ruspoliana

Engl.

Moringaceae Edible: Gum

gbif· cc-by

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

gbif· cc-by

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

gbif· cc-by

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Description

An erect shrub or tree. It has a fattened trunk and loses its leaves during the year. It grows 8 m tall. The leaves have leaflets along the stalk made up of 5-7 leaflets. These are 2-10 cm long by 1-9 cm wide. The sepals of the flowers are narrow and about 2 cm long. They are red. They are in groups near the ends of branches. The fruit is a narrow capsule 18-30 cm long and about 1 cm wide.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in dry alkaline soil. It grows between 180-960 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.

Where It Grows

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia,

Synonyms

Hyperanthera ruspoliana (Engl.) Chiov.

References (2)

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 4th May 2011]
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew