DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2015.v03i02.004

Pages: 139-142

The monogeneric family Moringaceae is remarkable for the great diversity of habit and floral morphology within its only genus; Moringa. The aim of the present study is to infere the phylogenetic relationships of seven species of Moringa using rbcL sequence and to find out some of the macro- and micromorphological characters as diagnostic features by which the Moringa oleifera can be identified in entire or powdered form. The present study included the investigation of macro- and micromorphological characters of M. oleifera. The sequences of the rbcL gene for seven taxa of Moringaceae and Brassica rapa as outgroup were extracted from the National Center for Biotechnology Information home page. The evolutionary history was inferred by using the Maximum Likelihood method. The morpho-anatomical traits are considered as valuable diagnostic elements for authentication of M. oleifera. It is concluded that genus Moringa is a monophyletic group. M. peregrine and M. oleifera are closely related as treated previously in current taxonomic systems.