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Moringa oleifera Lam.

Synonym	:	Guilandina moringa L.,
Family	:	Moringaceae
Local name	:	English-Drumstick Tree Malayalam-  Muringai
Flowering and fruiting period	:	Flowers : January – March, Fruit ripen : March – May
Distribution	:	Indigenous to Sub-Himalayan tracts, widely cultivated throughout the tropical countries
Distribution in Kerala	:	All districts
Habitat	:	Cultivated
Uses	:	Seed pods are used as a vegetable, especially in south Indian cuisine, e.g. drumstick sambar. An excellent oil is derived from the seeds, which is used for cooking and lubrication of delicate mechanisms. The leaves are extensively used as a vegetable in many parts of the world, and the root can be made into a condiment similar to horseradish. The bark, sap, roots, leaves, seeds and flowers are used in traditional medicine. Research has examined how it might affect blood lipid profiles, although it is not effective at diagnosing, treating, or preventing any human diseases.
Key botanical characters:   M. oleifera is a middle sized soft tree that can reach a height of 10–12 m (32–40 ft) and trunk diameter of 45 cm (1.5 ft). The bark has a whitish-grey colour and is surrounded by thick cork. Young shoots have purplish or greenish-white, hairy bark. The tree has an open crown of drooping, fragile branches and the leaves build up a feathery foliage of tripinnate leaves.The flowers are fragrant and hermaphroditic, surrounded by five unequal, thinly veined, yellowish-white petals. The flowers are about 1.0–1.5 cm (1/2") long and 2.0 cm (3/4") broad. They grow on slender, hairy stalks in spreading or drooping flower clusters which have a length of 10–25 cm.The fruit is a hanging, three-sided brown capsule of 20–45 cm size which holds dark brown, globular seeds with a diameter around 1 cm. The seeds have three whitish papery wings and are dispersed by wind and water.