Drumstick tree, horseradish tree, ben nut habitat
Moringa oleifera, the drumstick or horseradish tree, is a perennial softwood tree growing to 5–15 metres in height. It does well in humid tropics, as well as hot, dry lands, and is drought tolerant, growing with a minimum water requirement of 250 mm and a maximum of over 3,000 mm (Morton 1991). It grows well in a range of soils including sand and limestone, and requires good drainage (Morton 1991). In the wild, it is found most commonly near riverbeds but occurs throughout plains (Anwar et al. 2007). Its flowers are bisexual and fragrant, with five white petals. Seeds are encased in long green pods which split open into three sections and contain a row of triangular seeds. Seeds sprout in 1-2 weeks, and when grown from seed it develops a deep taproot system, enabling efficient water uptake (Nouman et al. 2014). This tree has rapid growth rates, growing to a height of 4 metres, and producing both flowers and fruits, in 12 months (Sutherland 1994).
