Common Name:

General Information

Moringa peregrina is a slender, deciduous shrub or tree with an ovoid crown; it can grow up to 10 metres tall. The bole can be up to 40cm in diameter[]. The tree has a tuberous rootstock[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as source of a high quality oil, which is mainly used locally. It also provides a means for purifying water and is a very important local source of fuel. The use of the oil goes back to antiquity and is referred to in old Egyptian texts and the Bible[]. The plant is grown as ornamental in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East[].
Although there is concern about the decline of Moringa peregrina stands especially where it is collectedfor firewood, it is not listed in the IUCN Red List[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Northeast tropical Africa - southern Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia.

Habitat

Rocky slopes of wadis and gullies; Acacia- Commiphora woodland, sometimes on nearly bare rock with a
strongly reduced root system, at elevations up to 850 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	8.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the arid tropics.

Young seedlings have broad leaflets and form a large tuber. The plant will often only produce herbaceous growth when young, especially in dry years, dying back to ground level in the dry season. Once the tuber is large enough, the growth above ground will become woody and persist[].
The first fruits are produced about 3 years after planting[].
The plant grows quickly from both seeds and cuttings; 3 - 4 metres of annual increase in height is not unusual when adequate moisture is available[].
Pollarding or pruning following harvesting is recommended to promote branching. This increases pod production and facilitates harvesting as the tree is kept at a manageable height[].
A single tree may produce up to 1,000 seedpods per year[].

Edible Uses

An oil, known as 'ben oil', is obtained from the seed[]. The oil is used for cooking[]. The seed contains about 50% oil. It is similar to the oil extracted from the seed of Moringa oleifera. The approximate fatty acid composition of the oil is: palmitic acid 9%, stearic acid 4%, arachidic acid 2%, behenic acid 2%, oleic acid 71%, linoleic acid 1%, and gadoleicacid 2%[].

The tuber of the young plant is eaten in Yemen and Oman[].

Medicinal

The seeds are used in medicine in the Middle East and Sudan[].

The oil obtained from the seed is used to treat abdominal pain[].

Agroforestry Uses:

A good bee plant[].

Other Uses

An oil obtained from the seed is used in cosmetics[].
Traditional methods to extract the oil, as used by the Bedouin, are very simple but yield little oil. The seeds are crushed, water is added and the seeds are boiled. The mixture is left overnight to allow the oil to float to the surface, from where it is skimmed off. In a more advanced method the seeds are crushed, some water is added and the mixture is gently heated for 10 - 15 minutes. The oil is then extracted using a screw press or hydraulic press[].

The seeds are used as coagulant to purify water[]. The water purifying properties of the seed are caused by a protein which coagulates dispersed particles[].
The seeds are ground to a paste, the paste is put in a bottle and water is added. The mixture is shaken for 5 minutes to activate the protein. The mixture is then sieved and the solution is added to turbid water. After slowly stirring for 20 minutes, fine particles including bacteria coagulate, sink and settle on the bottom. After one hour clear water can be drawn off[].

The wood is very succulent and therefore not used for construction[].
The wood is collected for fuel in the southern Sinai, but it has now become scarce[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a nursery seedbed in light shade[]. Transplanting 5-month-old seedlings gave good survival rates[].
Cuttings - branches 100 - 150cm long have been used as cuttings and these have performed well[].

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