CSIR-NEERI Biodiversity Portal

STONE APPLE / BAEL

Aegle marmelos

Botanical name	: Aegle marmelos
Synonym	: Crataeva marmelos L.
Vernacular name	: Stone Apple / Bael/ Bel
Family	: Rutaceae (Citrus family)
About the Tree	: A spinous, deciduous, aromatic medium sized tree, cultivated throughout India, as well as in Sri Lanka, northern Malaya, Java and in the Philippines. A clear, gummy sap, resembling gum Arabic, exudes from wounded branches and hangs down in long strands, becoming gradually solid. It is sweet at first taste and then irritating to the throat. The leaves of the plant are being offered to Gods as part of prayers. The fruits can be eaten either freshly from trees or after drying them.
Height	: Up to 12 m tall.
Bark	: Thick, soft, flaking bark.
Leaf	: Leaves alternate- usually 3-foliolate, sometimes 5-foliolate, leaflets subsessile, ovate-lanceolate, oblique at base terminal long-petioled., shallowly crenate-serrate at margin, tapering at apex, , pale green.
Flower	: Inflorescences axillary panicles, few-flowered, 4-5 cm long, peduncles densely puberulent, pedicels 2-4 mm long. Flowers bisexual, greenish white or yellow, sweet-scented. Calyx lobes 4 or 5, 3-angled. Petals 5, ovate-oblong, subequal, fleshy and white. Stamens numerous in 2 or 3 series, free or basally subconnate, anthers linear-oblong. Disc glabrous, greenish. Style short, stigma oblong, longitudinally grooved.
Fruits	: Fruit is large, up to 15 cm diameter, globose, ovoid or pyriform, 8-15 celled, rind grey or greyish-yellow, woody, pulp orange, sweet. Seeds, numerous in aromatic pulp, oblong, compressed, testa woolly and mucilaginous.
Season	: Leaf Fall occurs from April to May. Flowering season is from May to July and fruiting between September and December
Medicinal Properties Peculiar Character	: It significantly reduces the blood glucose. : Sweet drink (sherbet) prepared from the pulp of fruit produce soothing and cooling effect.