Moringa stenopetala is a deciduous tree with a dense, strongly branched crown; it can grow 6 - 12 metres tall. The bole, which is swollen and bottle-shaped, can be up to 100cm in diameter.
An extremely useful multipurpose tree, providing food, medicines and a host of other commodities. The leaves are a major food crop in Ethiopia, where they can often be eaten every day, especially during the dry season.
The plant is cultivated, mainly in home gardens, in N Kenya and S Ethiopia, mainly for its edible leaves but also for medicine, shade and as a living fence.
The leaves are sold in local markets for use as a vegetable and medicine.

Known Hazards

The glucosinolates in the leaves were found to cause goitre but to a lesser extent than expected on the basis of their concentration. However, in a diet poor in iodine it may be a contributing factor.

Habitat

Acacia tortilis woodland, riverine woodland of Hyphaene, Acacia, etc.; Acacia, Delonix, Commiphora associations, scrub and succulent steppe; usually on rocky ground by permanent water; at elevations from 390 - 1,200 metres.

Cultivation Status

Cultivated, Semi-cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the arid to moist tropics, where it can be grown at elevations from 390 - 2,200 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 25 - 35°c, but can tolerate 15 - 48°c.
Plants can tolerate light frosts; even heavier frosts do not always kill the plant since it is able to resprout from the base.
It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 500 - 1,500mm, but tolerates 200 - 2,800mm.
Grows best in a sunny position, but tolerates light shade.
Prefers a well-drained soil with a high groundwater table, but it can also withstand dry conditions well, and consequently it is found in both wetlands and dry areas.
Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 8, tolerating 5 – 9.
Plants are very drought tolerant, remaining green and continuing to grow even during exceptionally long dry seasons.
In experimental plantings in Sudan, plants reached a height of 3 metres within 14 months. The first flowers appeared 30 months after sowing.
The first leaves can be harvested after about 3 years.
Trees are pruned every 5 years during the rainy season.
The leaves are preferably left on the trees during the rainy season when other vegetables are in ample supply.
The leaves have a better taste in the dry season than during the rains.
Yield estimates are scarce. Annual production can reach 2,000 fruits or 6 kg of seed per tree under ideal conditions.
At elevations of over 1,650 m no fruits at all are harvested and leaf production is poor.
The taste of the leaves differs between trees and ranges from sweet to bitter.

Edible Uses

Young leaves - raw or cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
A larger leaf with a milder flavour than the leaves of M. Oleifera.
Traditionally, the leaflets are separated from the rachis and plunged into boiling water. Salt or sodium carbonate is added to the water. While the leaves are cooking, a mixture of flours is prepared, then kneaded and made into balls 2 - 5cm in diameter. These are tossed into the water as well and after about 10 minutes the balls and the leaves are ready to serve.
The addition of fat (grease or butter), small-sized cereal balls and a large number of leaves are considered to make this dish a good-quality meal.
The young, soft fruits can also be added, but the slightly bitter taste restricts the use to periods when food is in short supply.
Flowers - cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
Seedpods – cooked.
This probably refers to the young seedpods, as mentioned above, which have a bitter flavour.

Medicinal

An infusion of the leaves is used as a remedy against leprosy.
They are also used to treat hypertension, retained placenta, asthma, colds, as an anthelmintic, to induce vomiting and to promote wound healing.
The leaves of certain trees of this species are renowned for their effectiveness against diarrhoea.
The smoke of burning roots is used as a treatment for epilepsy.
The smoke is said to be inhaled by women in Sudan during a difficult labour, but as the species has not been collected so far in Somalia, this record is probably incorrect.
The leaves and roots are used as a cure for malaria, stomach problems and diabetes.
The bark is chewed as a treatment against coughs, and is also used to make fortifying soups.
Ethanol extracts of the leaves and roots have shown promise in control of Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania donovani in in-vitro experiments.
The leaf extract causes increased uterine smooth muscle contractions.
The medicinal use of leaves to expel a retained placenta may be related to these increased contractions.
A crude seed extracts strongly inhibited growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Shigella sp. And Candida albicans.
An aqueous extract of the leaves has been found to lower blood glucose concentration although it was less potent than glibenclamide. The effect was observed to increase with time and with increasing dose of the extract.

Agroforestry Uses

The tree is used as a living fence.
Although in cultivation the primary goal is vegetable production, the tree can also play a role in erosion control, as a live fence, as a windbreak, for shade and as a bee plant.
Traditionally, the trees are mainly grown in home gardens of up to 0.1 ha with 5 - 15 trees per garden. Other crops usually grown in these gardens are papaya, coffee, banana, cassava, maize, sugar cane, cotton and Capsicum peppers.

Other Uses

The seeds of this species are very effective for water purification.
The seed contains a protein (cationic polyelectrolyte) that acts as a flocculent in water purification. It can be extracted from the ground seed with salt water.
Even very muddy water can be cleared when the crushed seeds are added.
Solid matter and some bacteria will coagulate and then sink to the bottom of the container of water.
The cleaned water can then be poured off and boiled.
The seed oil is used as a lubricant, in perfumery and in soap production.
The wood is very soft and is useful for making paper.
The wood makes low-grade firewood and poor-quality charcoal.

Propagation

Seed - sow in individual pots in a semi-shaded position, placing the seed 1cm deep in a mixture of sand and loam enriched with compost.
Do not allow the compost to become dry. Germination rates of fresh seeds approaches 100%, they germinate fastest at 25 - 30°c. Transplanting to permanent positions can be done when the plants are 20cm tall or 6 months old, and with proper water supply (about 25 litres of water every 3 - 4 days) all plants should survive.
Seeds of up to 1 year old have a germination rate close to 100%; germination of older seeds is variable and declines as a function of age and storage method.
The most common practice in traditional cultivation is to transplant seedlings that have become established under old trees. Before transplanting, branches and roots are cut and the seedlings are left to dry for a week, roots are covered with ash and upper parts with dung.
Cuttings can be used, but trees established from cuttings were found to have a poor root system.