Aegle marmelos- Bael/ Bilva/ Bilwa/ Bel/ Kuvalam/ Koovalam/ Madtoum/ Beli fruit/ Bengal quince/ Stone apple/ Wood apple

[J.M. Garg]

Pictures taken on 2/2/08 at Naredndrapur near Kolkata. I was confused a bit due to the shape of the fruit here, not being round.

Bael (Aegle marmelos) is a fruit-bearing tree indigenous to dry forests on hills and plains of central and southern India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. It is cultivated throughout India, as well as in Sri Lanka, northern Malaya, Java and in the Philippines. It is also popularly known as Bilva, Bilwa, Bel, Kuvalam, Koovalam, Madtoum, or Beli fruit, Bengal quince, stone apple, and wood apple. The tree, which is the only species in the genus Aegle, grows up to 18 meters tall and bears thorns and fragrant flowers. It has a woody-skinned, smooth fruit 5-15 cm in diameter. The skin of some forms of the fruit is so hard it must be cracked open with a hammer. It has numerous seeds, which are densely covered with fibrous hairs and are embedded in a thick, gluey, aromatic pulp.

The fruit is eaten fresh or dried. If fresh, the juice is strained and sweetened to make a drink similar to lemonade, and is also used in making Sharbat, a refreshing drink where the pulp is mixed with tamarind. If the fuit is to be dried, it is usually sliced first and left to dry by the heat of the sun. The hard leathery slices are then placed in a pan with several litres of water which is then boiled and simmered. As for other parts of the plant, the leaves and small shoots are eaten as salad greens. The fruit is also used in religious rituals and as a ayurvedic remedy for such ailments as diarrhea, dysentery, intestinal parasites, dryness of the eyes, and the common cold. It is a very powerful antidote for chronic constipation.

In Hinduism, the Lord Shiva is said to live under the Bael tree. In India, the tree is often found in temple gardens and its leaves are used in religious celebrations.

In the traditional culture of Nepal, the Bael tree is part of an important fertility ritual for girls known as the Bel baha.

This tree is a larval foodplant for the following two Indian Swallowtail butterflies, the Lime Butterfly Papilio demoleus and the Common Mormon Papilio polytes.

The above inf. taken from Wikipedia link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bael
--
With regards,
J.M.Garg
"We often ignore the beauty around us"
For learning about our trees & plants, please visit/ join Google e-group (Indiantreepix) http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix?hl=en
For my Birds, Butterflies, Trees, Lanscape pictures etc., visit  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/J.M.Garg

[J.M. Garg]

Hi, Naveein,

It will be really nice if you can do that for BNGBirds or similar groups  as I am not a member of this group.
Others may also like to do that on other groups (except for Delhibird, Delhipix, IndiaNaturePix, SeriousBirders, Butterflyindia of which I am a member) as it will increase the member participation & interactions.
 

On 2/13/08, Naveein O C <nave...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear JM,

 

Could you post a message on BNGBirds, about this group, or would you want me to do it??

 

rgds

 

Naveein