Aegle marmelos

Aegle marmelos, commonly known as bael (or bili or bhel), also Bengal quince,golden apple,Japanese bitter orange,stone apple, or wood apple, is a species of tree native to India. It is present throughout Southeast Asia as a naturalized species. The tree is considered to be sacred by Hindus. Its fruits are used in traditional medicine, and as a food throughout its range.

Vernacular names

The tree is called "belpatthar ka paid" in Hindi "ಬಿಲ್ಪತ್ರೆ ಮರ" and the religious tree "ಬಿಲ್ವ" or "ಬಿಲ್ಪತ್ರೆ" in Kannada, "vilvam" (வில்வமரம்) in Tamil, "beli" ( බෙලි )in Sinhala. The fruits are known as ಬೇಲದ ಹಣ್ಣು (edible variety), ಬಿಲ್ವ (sacred variety) in Kannada, "bela" (ବେଲ) in Odia, "bael" (বেল) in Bengali and bilva and maredu (మారేడు) in Telugu. It is called Sivadruma by the Hindus and is considered as a sacred herb.

Botanical information

Phylogeny and anatomy

Bael is the only member of the monotypic genus Aegle. It is a mid-sized, slender, aromatic, armed, gum-bearing tree growing up to 18 meters tall. It has a leaf with three leaflets.