The Drumstick Tree is a very nice tree that has a delicate tracery of its divided leaves and also appears in a fresh, elegant manner. The scientific name of this tree is `Moringa Pterygosperma`. The name `Moringa` derived from Tamil language. The word `Pterygosperma` is from the Greek language and it means, "with winged seeds". This is a member of `Moringaceae` family. The tree is named as `Munga`, `Sondna` or `Segva` in Hindi.. The Telugu people call it as `Munga` and in Malay, it is known as `Merunggai` or `Sajina`.

The Drumstick tree can be used as a boundary fence and also contains a lot of edible qualities, it is very common in towns and village gardens. If you put down the cuttings of the tree of about 1 to 1.5 m in length in their permanent positions, they will strike very easily and grow up rapidly. The tree grows in nature in the Western Himalayas and has become naturalized in equatorial lands all around the world. The bark of the tree is thick and grey in colour and also wrinkled. It comes off in corky peels.

From the months of February to April is the original flowering season of the `Drumstick Tree`. However, some exceptional trees bloom from the month of September onwards as well. The flowers of the tree are velvety white and appear in big, baggy clusters. From time to time, they cover the entire tree in white foam. In each of the tiny flowers, the stem twists sharply at the tip and it bears ten long petals. Nine out of the ten petals fold back around the flower. Six stamens bear the bright orange anthers and they are not equal to each other. When the flowers get maturity, they turn yellow in colour and getting together with the new white flowers and the pale green and white buds, they make such a picture that is of gorgeous beauty. The charming and honey like scent adds an extra attraction.

The fruits of the `Drumstick Tree` are of pinkish colour. They contain a warped tube and normally take about three months of time to attain their full length. They can achieve any height up to 50-cm. They bear many divided seeds when they are bright green in colour and wavy. The tree got its name of `Drumstick` only because of this amazing pod. The pod and seeds of the tree are very popular ingredients for curries (the drumstick curry of Madras). It is claimed that if they are boiled, they can give you the flavour of asparagus. The leaves of the `Drumstick Tree` remain divided and sub-divided and the last segments of the leaves are only 1.3 to 2 cm in length. Their shape is oval and they bear some small stalks. They are of a clear green colour as well. The leaves never cross the limit of 60 or 90 cm in length. However, the pinna and leaflets are more widely spaced and the entire thing does not form a compact and balanced leaf. The pinna, secondary pinna and leaflets always remain in opposite position. Besides containing a great edible fruit, the `Drumstick Tree` has a lot of other usefulness as well. The scraped root of the tree is an excellent substitute for horseradish. The twigs and leaves can be used as camel fodder and as the flowers and leaves are rich in vitamins, people cook them in curries.

The Drumstick tree has some valuable medicinal properties. A pungent oil can be obtained from the roots of this tree that is more like mustard oil and you can use this to make plasters, as they need a counter-irritant. Not only this, the root itself is very popular as it can be utilized as a cure for painful throats. Though not hundred percent correct, but it is believed that the bruised leaves have the ability to become a remedy for the bites of snakes, monkeys, etc. A gum exudes from the wood of the tree that is white in the beginning, later turns yellow and ultimately become dark brown in colour. It is used in native medicine. People can yield oil from the seed that has a lot of similarity to the ben oil of watchmakers. This oil is used in India for fine machinery and by perfumers as it can hold odours. A coarse fibre that is obtained from the bark is useful for making mats, paper and cordage.