115
Moringa
pterygosperma Gaertn.
Synonym : Moringa oleifera Bedd.
Family
: Moringaceae
Local Names
: Muringa, Ben Oil Tree, Drumstick
tree
Flowering
and fruiting period:
November – March
Distribution: Cultivated throughout India and many tropical
countries
Habitat: Cultivated
IUCN
status:
Data Deficient
Endemic: No
Uses: The young leaves are taken internally to
increase the milk flow in nursing mothers. The root juice is used internally in
the treatment of asthma, gout, rheumatism, enlarged spleen and liver, bladder
and kidney stones, inflammatory conditions. Externally, the root is used to
treat boils, ulcers, glandular swellings, infected wounds, skin diseases,
dental infections, snake bites and gout. The bark is an appetizer and digestive.
The oil obtained from the mature seed and pods, known as 'oil of ben', has been
used to lubricate watches and other fine machinery. The powdered seeds are used
to clarify sugar cane juice. When the tree is injured, the stem exudes a gum
that is used in calico printing.
Key
Characters:
Small trees; branchlets lenticellate.
Leaves tri-pinnate, pinnae and pinnules opposite; leaflets oblong, obtuse at
apex, pubescent. Panicles axillary, tomentose; flowers white; calyx lobes oblong, reflexed; petals spathulate, unequal; fertile stamens 5;
anthers one celled, intervened by 5 or 7 staminodes; ovary 1-celled, 3-valved,
ovoid. Pod 9-ribbed; seeds winged.
