Moringa oleifera
Origin: India
Improvement status: Unknown
Seeds per packet: ~20
BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED
Life cycle: Perennial
Also called miracle tree, horseradish tree, drumstick tree, and ben oil tree, moringa is native to the Himalayan foothills of India and Bangladesh, but has become popular in the tropics around the world (especially in Africa, Latin America, and the Philippines). It's used as a vegetable — the protein-rich small leaves and long immature pods, called "drumsticks," are eaten — but it also has medicinal properties (hence the name "miracle tree”). In temperate climates, it can thrive outdoors in the spring, summer, and fall, but must be cut back, dug up, and brought inside for the winter. It can remain dormant all winter if kept at room temperature or slightly cooler. Moringa is typically hardy to Zone 9 outdoors.
Our seed comes from the good folks at Sheffield's Seed Company.
GROWING TIPS: Plant seeds this year (they won't keep until next year). Seeds can be started indoors and brought outside a few weeks after all danger of frost has passed.