Moringa peregrina (Forssk.) Fiori

This tree is propagated by seeds. Steps to follow: • Sow collected seeds in seed tray filled with a ratio of 3 peat moss: 1 compost, 5 cm apart. • Irrigate the seed tray three times a week. • Germination commences from 6–18 days. Seed germination of this species is low and average germination is around 34%.

maintenanceAr.Item1 maintenanceAr.Item3

Wild Drumstick Tree

In Omani studies: Miller & Morris (1988) wrote that: "This graceful tree with its showy clouds of pink flowers is not very common in Dhofar, occurring mainly in the deeper wadis of the drier areas. Its flowers are well liked by goats, and children too used to appreciate them - they provide a sip of nectar when sucked hard, and are called msisi (from the root mss meaning 'to suck'), as are other nectar-yielding flowers. The distinctive, long pods, when not too tough and fibrous, are considered good browse for camels, but the foliage is of very little interest to livestock. The wood was considered to make a good charcoal, though not of the first quality, and the trunks of well grown specimens provided the central pillars [J: ensebet] of the traditional round, stone houses [J: esterit] and cattle byres [J: hador, dekef], being resistant to termite attack. The wood ... of the slimmer branches is supple yet strong, and was used to make such items as the calf feeding trough [J: mikeleyl] into which freshly gathered fodder was pushed through a special hole in the wall of the pen to feed calves which were considered to be too young to go out to graze with the herd for any length of time. The tripod stand [J: menebges] from which was hung the butter skin during the butter-making process was also often made from these straight branches. In the eastern area particularly, but also in other areas beyond the reach of the monsoon rains where the choice of wild foods was more limited than in the monsoon areas, a young sapling would be searched out and dug up. Its knobby and swollen root, called J: ber dehel, or ibro eyen, ('son of the ''yen'' tree'), would then be roasted slowly in the hot ash at the side of the fire. A single root could often reach the size of a large sweet potato, and was starchy and filling as well as being quite pleasant tasting. In the north of Oman, oil extracted from the pods was used in the treatment of infantile paralysis or infantile convulsions". (Ref. Plants of Dhofar). In addition, Ghazanfar (2003) mentioned that: "Oil extracted from seeds is used in traditional medicine for aliments of the digestive system, childbirth and as skin lotion. The oil is sold in the local markets in Nizwa and Bahla and is known as 'wonder oil' because of its multiple uses. M. peregrina is one of the honey plants that bees use for making honey". (Ref. Flora of Oman, vol. 1).

*Miller, A., Morris, M. (1988). Plants of Dhofar, the Southern Region of Oman: Traditional, Economic, and Medicinal Uses. Published by Office of the Adviser for Conservation of the Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Sultanate of Oman; ISBN 10: 0715708082 ISSN 13: 9780715708088. *https://en.wikipedia.org *Gledhill, D. (2008). The Names of Plants. Fourth Edition. Cambridge University Press, UK. ISBN 978-0-521-86645-3 ISSN 978-0-521-68553-5. *Ghazanfar, S. (2003). Flora of the Sultanate of Oman, vol.1: Piperaceae – Primulaceae. Meise, National Botanic Garden of Belgium (Scripta Botanica Begica, Vol. 25). ISBN 90-72619-55-2 ISSN 0779-2387. *POWO (2023). ""Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org