Hildebrandt’s moringa (Moringa hildebrandtii) is a critically endangered species that is endemic to extreme southwestern Madagascar. It was reportedly extinct in the wild, but a small population of the trees may have been rediscovered. Small numbers of the trees reportedly exist in or near villages where they were planted and cared for by the indigenous people. Some seeds are available from trees in cultivation on Gran Canaria, an island in the Canary Islands archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa and part of Spain. These are available for purchase on our online store. Seedlings are sometimes available and may be grown to order.
The trees develop an interesting, massive bottle shaped truck for water storage and can reach a height of 20 meters (66 feet). Most of the leaves are near the top of the tree, like palms and they can be partially deciduous during the winter months in Hawai`i. The species grows well with minimal care at the lower elevations and no pests or diseases have been observed.