# Moringa tree

*Moringa oleifera*

Crushed Moringa seeds can bind to bacteria and sediment, acting as a natural coagulant to purify turbid drinking water.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Brassicales › Moringaceae › Moringa
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** increasing
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Sub-Himalayan dry forests, semi-arid scrublands, and tropical agricultural zones.
- **Diet:** Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
- **Range:** India, Pakistan, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, Caribbean
- **Size:** Up to 12 meters (39 feet) tall
- **Lifespan:** 30-40 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Severe frost, invasive agricultural pests, and localized over-exploitation of wild stocks.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. Moringa is safe to approach and handle. Avoid stripping bark or over-harvesting wild leaves to ensure the tree remains healthy and resilient.

## About

Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree of the family Moringaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of South Asia. Common names include moringa , drumstick tree (from the long, slender, triangular seed-pods), horseradish tree (from the taste of the roots, which resembles horseradish), and ben oil tree or benzolive tree (from the oil which is derived from the seeds).

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/72b97921-8727-4547-8c25-a8c7500583e2
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/165529
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa oleifera
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/65070195/medium.jpeg (葉子, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.