辣木Moringa oleifera Lam.

别名：horseradishtree;

科名：辣木科 Moringaceae

属名：辣木属 Moringa

《中国植物志》第34(1)卷006页
  辣木（种子植物名称）图版3
  Moringa oleifera Lam. Encycl. 7: 398. 1785; Merr. et Chun,中山大学农林植物所专刊5: 68. 1940; 侯宽昭等, 广州植物志110. 1956. ——M. pterygosperma Gaertn. Fruct. 2: 314. 1791.
  乔木，高3-12米；树皮软木质；枝有明显的皮孔及叶痕，小枝有短柔毛；根有辛辣味。叶通常为3回羽状复叶，长25-60厘米，在羽片的基部具线形或棍棒状稍弯的腺体；腺体多数脱落，叶柄柔弱，基部鞘状；羽片4-6对；小叶3-9片，薄纸质，卵形，椭圆形或长圆形，长1-2厘米，宽0.5-1.2厘米，通常顶端的1片较大，叶背苍白色，无毛；叶脉不明显；小叶柄纤弱，长1-2毫米，基部的腺体线状，有毛。花序广展，长10-30厘米；苞片小，线形；花具梗，白色，芳香，直径约2厘米，萼片线状披针形，有短柔毛；花瓣匙形；雄蕊和退化雄蕊基部有毛；子房有毛。蒴果细长，长20-50厘米，直径1-3厘米，下垂，3瓣裂，每瓣有肋纹3条；种子近球形，径约8毫米，有3棱，每棱有膜质的翅。花期全年，果期6-12月。
  我国广东（广州、儋县）、台湾等地有栽培，常种植在村旁、园地；亦有逸为野生的，产崖县牛尾山大抱杠，生于杂林中。原产印度，现广植于各热带地区。模式标本采自印度。
  本种通常栽培供观赏；根、叶和嫩果有时亦作食用；种子可榨油，含油30％左右，为一种清澈透明的高级钟表润滑油，且其对于气味有强度的吸收性和稳定性，故可用作定香剂。

《Flora of China》 Vol. 8 (2001)
Moringa oleifera  Lamarck
辣木   la mu
Moringa pterygosperma Gaertner.
Trees to 12 m tall; bark pale smooth to rugose but not fissured. Leaves petiolate, 3-pinnate, 25-60 cm, with stalked glands often exuding clear or amber liquid at base of petiole and leaflets; leaflets in 4-6 pairs, ovate, elliptic, or oblong, 1-2 × 0.5-1.2 cm, puberulous when young but glabrous at maturity, base rounded to cuneate, apex rounded to emarginate; petiolules slender, 1-2 mm. Inflorescence a widely spreading panicle, bracteate, 10-30 cm; bracts linear, ca. 1 mm. Flowers white to cream, fragrant, somewhat resembling an inverted Fabaceae flower with 2 dorsal sepals and 1 dorsal petal usually remaining unreflexed and forming a projecting "keel" while the rest of the perianth reflexes down to form a "banner" at right angles to the "keel", each flower borne on a false pedicel 7-15 mm; true pedicel 1-2 mm. Sepals lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 0.7-1.4 mm, usually puberulent. Petals spatulate, 1-2 cm, glabrous or puberulent at base. Stamens hairy at base. Ovary hairy. Capsule 3-valved, 20-50 × 1-3 cm, dehiscent. Seeds subglobose, 3-angled, 8-15 mm in diam. excluding wings; wings 0.5-1 cm wide, rarely absent. Fl. year round, fr. Jun-Dec.
Cultivated for ornament, sometimes escaping. Guangdong, Taiwan, Yunnan [native to India].
A variant with wingless seeds has been collected in S Yunnan (Xishuangbanna Dai Zu Zizhizhou): K. S. Chow & P. P. Wan 80197 (MO).

The roots have a pungent taste and, like the leaves and young fruits, are used for food; an oil is extracted from the seeds, which also contain a powerful flocculant of use in clarifying turbid water.