Photo by Ivan Cupic in the
lower Wadi Dana, Jordan.
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This member of the Moringaceae family was
given this name by Adriano Fiori in 1911. It is found in the
Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Israel, Jordan, Somalia, Sudan, Syria,
Yemen and maybe in Iran and Pakistan. It grows in wadis in
grit or another well
drained soil with some water and lots of sun. The young plants
from a caudex up to 40 centimetres in diameter, the old trees can
grow to ten meters in height. The flowers are pink and white, and
besides from seeds, this tree can be reproduced by cuttings.
Young plants have
significantly wider leaves, and form a nice caudex of a swollen
root. Later, the leaves get narrow, the caudex disappears and the
stems are cut off by Bedouins for their goats and firewood. The
bean-like seeds are eaten or used for oil-making, the young tubers
eaten, and this beautiful tree are under great pressure in the wild. |
