Getting to know the Moringa plant

What exactly is the Moringa plant like?, maybe many of us are not familiar with it. Moringa plant has the scientific name Moringa Oleifera - family Moringaceae - kingdom Plantae - order Brassicales. This moringa plant is known by other names such as: limaran, moringa, ben-oil, drumstick, horseradish tree, and malunggay.

In Indonesia, moringa is known as murong (Aceh), munggai (Minangkabau); Java: kelor (Sunda), marongghi (Madura); Bali: kelor; Nusa Tenggara: parongge (Bima), kawona (Sumba); Maluku: kelo (Ternate & Tidore).

Moringa plants are classified as long-lived plants that can usually be grown by cuttings or seeding through seeds. Moringa plants have fruits that belong to the pod group.

This plant is thought to be native to the western region of the Himalayas and India which they usually call malunggay, then spread to the African Continent and West Asia. Moringa has become a popular plant in the world. In Europe, moringa is known as moringa and dubbed the tree of life by Americans.

All parts of the Moringa plant are edible, from the roots, bark, twigs, leaves and fruit. Moringa plants can grow quickly and are resistant to areas that lack water. By using moringa seeds or leaves, it can purify murky water.

Moringa seeds, leaves and oil are rich in nutrients, vitamins and amino acids, making it a superfood and a valuable resource in many places.

Here are some morphological characteristics of the moringa plant :

1. Plant Shape

Moringa plants are small trees that usually grow between 5 to 12 metres in height. Moringa trees have a hard, woody trunk.

Moringa plants have a height of 7-11 metres, woody stems (lignosus), upright, dirty white, thin skin, rough surface; sympodial branching, upright or oblique branch direction, tends to grow straight and elongated.

Moringa oleifera L. can be a shrub or can also be a tree with a height of 12 m with a diameter of 30 cm. The wood is a type of softwood and has low quality.

2. Moringa Leaf

Moringa leaves are uniquely shaped and easily recognisable. They are compound leaves with a number of small to many long, rounded leaflets that depend on the size of the leaf. The leaves are bright green in colour and vary in size.

Moringa plant leaves are imperfectly finned, small, egg-shaped, as large as a fingertip. Leaflets have a green to brownish green colour, ovoid or inverted ovoid shape, 1-3 cm long, 4 mm to 1 cm wide, blunt leaf tip, rounded leaf base, flat leaf edge.

Moringa (Moringa Oleifera) leaves have an ovoid shape with flat leaf edges and small size. Moringa leaves are compound in one stalk. This plant is often used as herbal medicine or traditional medicine and has many health benefits, such as preventing cancer and maintaining blood pressure (Halodoc, Diskes Badung Kab, Kompas.com).

3. Moringa Flower

Moringa flowers are compound flowers that grow in large clusters. They are white to cream in colour and have a distinctive fragrant odour.

Moringa (Moringa oleifera) flowers have a distinctive shape. According to the information found, Moringa flowers are white to yellowish in colour. These flowers come out throughout the year and have a fragrant odour. Apart from the striking colour and scent, the shape of the flower was not detailed in the search results. However, it can be assumed that moringa flowers have a shape common to flowering plants with open petals.

4. Moringa Fruit

Moringa fruits are long pod-like, similar to long green beans. The fruit can reach about 20-60 cm in length. Once ripe, moringa fruits dry out and often burst to release the seeds.

5. Moringa Seeds

Moringa seeds are small and round in shape. They are usually dark brown in colour.

6. Moringa Root

The Moringa root is a strong and long taproot, which helps this plant to hold itself in the soil and seek water and nutrients.

The root bark tastes and smells pungent and spicy, from the inside it is pale yellow, finely ribbed, but bright and transverse. It is not hard, irregular in shape, the outer surface of the skin is slightly smooth, the inner surface is slightly stringy, the woody part of light brown colour, or cream is stringy, mostly separated.

7. Moringa Stem 

Moringa stems are hard and have rough skin that is often grey or brownish in colour.

8. Fast Growth

Moringa plants are known for their fast growth, and can grow into a large tree within a few years.

9. Leaf Fall

Moringa is a plant whose leaves tend to fall off throughout the year, but new leaves soon grow to replace the fallen ones.

This morphology of the moringa plant makes it a very valuable crop in various cultivations and uses, especially since its leaves, flowers and seeds are rich in essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and proteins. Moringa plants are also resistant to harsh environmental conditions and are often used in land improvement and erosion prevention efforts.