The Bottle Tree

When we had our collection of the Bottle Trees from Madagascar supplied by a nursery in Johore, we were not sure if the name given was correct. Initially we were informed that the trees were Adansonias, or Baobab trees. They were however later identified as the Moringa drouhardii, as evident from the showers of flowers in the pictures taken.

We are familiar with the Moringa oleifera ,which is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Moringa. Common names in English include: moringa, drumstick tree, horseradish tree, ben oil tree, or benzoil tree. This species that we plant in this region is a small tree that provides us with the “drumstick “ fruit we add to curries and leaves that are delicious fried with egg.

Moringa drouhardii, Moringa hildebrandtii Engler andMoringa ovalifolia Dinter ex Berger are big trees with swollen trunks and resemble the Baobab trees of Madagascar, though unrelated.