Moringa (genus)

Moringa is the sole genus in the plant family Moringaceae. It contains 13 species, which occur in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia and 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 foothills of the Himalayas in northwestern India,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> a multipurpose tree cultivated throughout the tropics and marketed as a dietary supplement, health food or source for herbalism practices.<ref name="Janick">Template:Cite book</ref> The fruit pods of Moringa oleifera ("drumsticks") are consumed as food in many parts of the world, particularly in South Asia.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The leaves are commonly used to make tea. Oils are made from the seeds, while powders can be made from the leaves and roots.

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).<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref>

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<ref name=":0" />
• Slender trees: M. concanensis, M. oleifera, M. peregrina<ref name=":0" />
• Sarcorhizal trees: M. arborea, M. ruspoliana<ref name=":0" />
• Tuberous shrubs: M. borziana, M. longituba, M. pygmaea, M. rivae<ref name=":0" />

Leaves

Leaves are typically pinnately compound with entire margins.

Flowers

Flowers may be either bilaterally or radially symmetric.<ref name=":0" /> 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 elongated, slender, 3-valved "pods" resembling an indehiscent silique (in contrast with a true dehiscent silique).<ref name=":2">Template:Cite journal</ref> Fruits of M. oleifera (drumstick), are a major agricultural product of India, eaten as a vegetable and used for traditional medicine.<ref name=":2" />

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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

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.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite book</ref> Molecular data has suggested a close relationship between Moringaceae and Caricaceae with many identifying a "Caricaceae-Moringaceae" clade within Brassicales.<ref name=":3" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Classification within the genus

Moringa contains three widely recognized clades—Donaldsonia, Moringa, and Dysmoringa.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite journal</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" /> The Moringa clade contains all other members of genus Moringa (except M. longituba) characterized by irregular floral symmetry, perigynous flowers, and short receptacles.<ref name=":4" /> The Dysmoringa clade contains the species M. longituba which diverges from common Moringa clade characteristics due to its long receptacle and red flowers.<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref name=":0" />

List of species

• Moringa arborea Verdc. (indigenous to Kenya)<ref name="AAA2015">Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Moringa borziana Mattei (indigenous to Somalia)<ref name="AAA2015" />
• Template:Ill Nimmo (indigenous to northern India)<ref name="AAA2015" />
• Moringa drouhardii Jum. – bottle tree (indigenous to southwestern Madagascar)<ref name="AAA2015" />
• Moringa hildebrandtii Engl. – Hildebrandt's moringa (indigenous to southwestern Madagascar)<ref name="AAA2015" />
• Moringa longituba Engl. (indigenous to Ethiopia and Somalia)<ref name="AAA2015" />
• Moringa oleifera Lam. (syn. M. pterygosperma) – horseradish tree (indigenous to northwestern India)<ref name="AAA2015" />
• Moringa ovalifolia Dinter & Berger (indigenous to Namibia and Angola)<ref name="AAA2015" />
• Moringa peregrina (Forssk.) Fiori indigenous to Arabian Peninsula Horn of Africa and in the Southern Sinai, Egypt<ref name="AAA2015" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Moringa pygmaea Verdc. (indigenous to Somalia)<ref name="AAA2015" />
• Moringa rivae Chiov. (indigenous to Kenya and Ethiopia)<ref name="AAA2015" />
• Moringa ruspoliana Engl. (indigenous to Ethiopia)<ref name="AAA2015" />
• Moringa stenopetala (Baker f.) Cufod.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> (indigenous to Kenya and Ethiopia)<ref name="AAA2015" />

Gallery

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  Moringa drouhardii (Bottle Tree)
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  Moringa oleifera (Drumstick tree)
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  Moringa peregrina (Arabian moringa)
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  Moringa stenopetala (Cabbage tree)
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  Moringa ovalifolia (Namibian moringa)
• Moringa arborea (Ethiopian moringa)
  Moringa arborea (Ethiopian moringa)
• Moringa hildebrandtii (Hildebrandt's moringa)
  Moringa hildebrandtii (Hildebrandt's moringa)
• Moringa concanensis (Ghat moringa)
  Moringa concanensis (Ghat moringa)

External links

• Template:Usurped, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
• The International Moringa Germplasm Collection