Moringa hildebrandtii
| Hildebrandt's moringa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Trunk and leaves of Moringa hildebrandtii | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Moringaceae |
| Genus: | Moringa |
| Species: | M. hildebrandtii |
| Binomial name | |
| Moringa hildebrandtii Engl. | |
Hildebrandt's moringa (Moringa hildebrandtii) is a tree species with a massive, water-storing trunk in the family Moringaceae. It is endemic to Madagascar, where it is extinct in the wild, but preserved by indigenous horticulture practices.[1]
The plant originally was thought to grow along the west coast of Madagascar, but ethnobotany data suggest it in fact grew in the island's extreme southwest.
Description
The plant's water-storing trunk grows up to 20 m. Its leaves are pinnate, compound, and can reach 1 m long. The leaf rachis and stem tips of young plants are distinctively deep red. Leaves spread around the trunk in an umbrella-like fashion. The small ivory-white flowers are borne in large sprays. Fruits are up to 50 cm long and contain 6 to 12 large nut-shaped seeds in a hard, light brown shell.
Rediscovery
In an article in Cactus World (the quarterly journal of the British Cactus and Succulent Society) the authors claimed to have rediscovered a population of M. hildebrandtii in the wild.[2]
References
- ↑ Olson, M. E., and S. G. Razafimandimbison. 2000. Moringa hildebrandtii: A tree extinct in the wild but preserved by indigenous horticultural practices in Madagascar. Adansonia sér. 3 22(2) 217-221.
- ↑ J. B. Castillon & J. P. Castillon March 2007. Cactus World. The recent discovery of the first wild population of Moringa hildebrandtii (Moringaceae) in Madagascar