Moringa
peregrina Forssk. ex Fiori
This native of the Red Sea region
is mayb ethe strangest member of a strange group. When Moringa
peregrina seedlings start out, they have broad leaflets and a large
tuber. Through many dry seasons, the shoot dies back below ground to
the tuber. As the plant gets older, the leaves get longer and longer,
but the leaflets get smaller and smaller and more widely spaced. Adult
trees produce leaves with a full complement of tiny leaflets, only to
drop them as the leaf matures. However, the naked leaf axis remains,
giving the tree a wispy look similar to Tamarix or
Cercidium microphyllum. The pink zygomorphic flowers are sweetly
scented and contrast with the blue leaves.
A lot of ads from
purveyors of Moringa products
will try to tell you that the ancient Romans and Egyptians used Moringa oleifera. Not true- in
fact, M. peregrina oil was one of the important oils of ancient
times. A least in the southern Arabian Peninsula, the tubers of
saplings are roasted and eaten.
Moringa peregrina
images
1) Moringa-covered
hillside in northern Oman; 2) young seedling in cultivation; 3) and 4)
adults in northern Oman;
5) fruits; 6) seeds: brown ones are fertile while white ones are sterile
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3. 
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6. 
click on a thumbnail
for a larger image
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- acknowledgements
Instituto
de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de
México
Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria
Copilco, Coyoacán A. P. 70-367
C. P. 04510, México, D. F.
MÉXICO
(52)
55 5622-9124 fon (52) 55 5555-1760 fax
molson@ib.unam.mx
all
material © 2014 Mark E Olson
