Ceyloninmoringa – Moringa oleifera

Crown is wide, open, typically umbrella shaped. Bole is crooked, often forked from near the base. Bark is smooth, dark grey. Twigs and shoots shortly but densely hairy. Leaves are alternate, large (up to about 90 cm long) and compound, 3 x bipinnate. Leaflets are dark green above and pale on the under surface, variable in size and shape, but often rounded-elliptic, seldom as much as 2.5 cm long. Inflorescence is a loose axillary panicle up to15 cm long, individual flower stalks up to 12 mm long and very slender. Flower has 5 pale green sepals 12 mm long, finely hairy, 5 white petals, unequal, a little longer than the sepals, flowers very sweet smelling. Fruit is large and distinctive, up to 90 cm long and 12 mm broad, slightly constricted at intervals, gradually tapering to a point, 3-(4-) angled, with 2 grooves on each face, light brown. It splits along each angle to expose the rows of rounded blackish oily seeds, each with 3 papery wings.