Limonia acidissima L.
| Kannada Name : | Bela, Baloola |
| Common Name : | Wood apple |
| Family Name : | Rutaceae |
| Scientific Name : | Limonia acidissima |
| Species Type : | Indigenous |
| Phenology : | Deciduous |
| Conservation Status : | Not known |
| Flowering Period : | May - July |
| Fruiting Period : | November - December |
| Origin : | India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka |
Uses
The fruit has astringent properties. The leaves contain tannins and an essential oil. They are astringent and are used internally, often combined with milk and sugar, in the treatment of indigestion, flatulence, diarrhoea, dysentery (especially in children) and haemorrhoids. An oil derived from the crushed leaves is applied on itchy skins
Description
Medium sized, deciduous trees, up to 20 m high. Bark dark grey or black, vertically fissured, spines sharp and straight. Leaves imparipinnate, alternate, 1-3 in a cluster; leaflets 5-7, opposite, sessile, obovate, glabrous, pellucid-punctate, coriaceous, base cuneate, aoex obtuse, margin entire, crushed leaf aromatic. Inflorescence an axillary cyme. Flowers polygamous, dull red, 1.3 cm across, pubescent, petals 5. Fruit a berry, 5-7.6 cm across, globose, whitish-brown, woody, rind hard. Seed many, wooly, embedded in sour pulp.
