Plant of the day is: Moringa oleifera or miracle tree

Plant of the day is: Moringa oleifera or miracle tree

Ounce to ounce it contains 3 times more iron than spinach, 4 times the amount of vitamin A than carrots, and 4 times the calcium in milk.  It also is chock full of protein and a complete compliment of amino acids.  Leaves, fruit, seeds, and depending on who you talk to, the roots and flowers are also edible.  Now THAT is a plant made for mastication!

Taxonomy:  Moringa oleifera is a member of the monotypic family Moringaceae (I get to learn a new family in the process) which means it is the sole genus in the family.  Neat.  In simple terms it makes it a real standout of a plant.  You'd almost think a legume of some type from seeing the leaves and fruit pods but no, more closely related to a mustard than a legume.  An association that becomes apparent when looking at the oil content of the seed ...but more on that later.  There are 13 other officially recognized species of Moringa, with another notable shout-out being Moringa stenopetala (short petal).

Fruit pods.  Very large pods.

Range/Description:  It is a native of the southern foothills of the Himalayas in Northwestern India but is being utilized in many areas of the world now.  Most notably, efforts are underway to promote its use for nutrition and a sustainable food source in impoverished areas of Africa.  Honduras is also ramping up production.  I believe that it is evergreen or deciduous based on where it is growing (please correct if I am wrong).  It only grows to about 30 feet but can reach that height very quickly.  Reportedly can put on 20 feet of growth in 2 years, which is amazing.  Leaves are feathery and tripinnate with many small leaflets.  Side leaflets are elliptical while the terminal leaflet is more obovate and slightly larger.  Flowers are white,have five petals, and are borne in sprays and are fragrant.  Flowering begins just 6 months after planting, which is impressive.  The fruit pods (often called drumsticks) split lengthwise into 3 parts and contain about 20 brown seeds with 3 wings.  It is very drought tolerant and can be easily propagated by sticking cut branches about 3 to 6 ft long into the ground (I'd venture a hormone treatment helps).

Flowers n leaves.  Can see the tripinnate if ya look closely.

Uses:  Everything.  I'm blown away, seriously.  An oil (ben oil) can be extracted from the seed which has a very long shelf life, can be used in cooking, burned as fuel, and used as lubricant.  It may be one of the most useful plants for humans that nature has concocted, truly a miracle.  The uses for this plant are really too numerous for me to even get into here.  I will say that despite some reports that it might be unsafe to eat the root, I bet it's probably fine in small amounts, kinda like ginger.  Since it is so closely related to mustards, the root can be made into somthing similar to horseradish.  The seeds can be stir fried and have a taste similar to peanuts (maybe?).  It's food, it's fuel, oh did I mention it cleans water!?  Yes, the crushed seeds actually pull particulates down out of the water and lower bacterial concentrations.  That is cooler than cool.  I believe there is an operation in place in Africa using Moringa to purify drinking water.  Considering the massive need for vitamin A and clean drinking water in much of the tropics, this plant stands to improve the lives of many.

A plant well worth respecting and being thankful for.  A stark reminder that our lives are immeasurably improved by the world around us.  We're not separate from the world, just a participating member.  I'd like to see us participate a little more responsibly.  Utilizing a plant like this is a great step in the right direction.