Moringa stenopetala

Moringa stenopetala
A specimen at the Fruit and Spice Park in Redland, Florida
Flowers and leaves, photographed on Oahu, Hawaii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Moringaceae
Genus: Moringa
Species:
M. stenopetala
Binomial name
Moringa stenopetala
Synonyms[1][2]
  • Donaldsonia stenopetala Baker f. (basionym)
  • Moringa streptocarpa Chiov.

Moringa stenopetala, commonly known as the African Moringa or cabbage tree, is a deciduous tree in the plant genus Moringa, native to Kenya and Ethiopia.[3] A drought-resistant species, it is characterized by its bottle-shaped trunk, long twisted seed pods, and edible leaves likened to cabbage, from which its common name is derived. M. stenopetala is extirpated in the wild in Ethiopia, though still grown there as a crop on the terraces of the Ethiopian Highlands, mainly in the Konso region.

Like its widely cultivated relative M. oleifera, Moringa stenopetala is a multipurpose tree: the leaves, pods, and flowers are edible and nutritious; the seeds contain an aromatic oil with culinary and cosmetic applications; and the seed press cake or powdered bark can be used for water purification. It is featured in various dishes and has a history of uses in folk medicine throughout its native range.

  1. ^ a b  Under its current treatment of Moringa stenopetala (from its basionym, Donaldsonia stenopetala), this species was published in Senckenbergiana Biologica 38: 407. 1957. "Moringa stenopetala". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  2. ^  The basionym of Moringa stenopetala, Donaldsonia stenopetala, was first described and published in Journal of Botany, British and Foreign 1896: 53. 1896. "Donaldsonia stenopetala". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  3. ^ Leone, A.; Spada, A.; Battezzati, A.; Schiraldi, A.; Aristil, J.; Bertoli, S. (2015). "Cultivation, genetic, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Moringa oleifera leaves: An overview". International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 16 (12): 12791–12835. doi:10.3390/ijms160612791. PMC 4490473. PMID 26057747.