Bitterroot Restoration

Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Common name: Kathbel, Kait(Beng.); Wood apple, Elephant apple, Curd fruit, Monkey fruit(Eng.).
Life cycle: Perennial
Native Range: Native to Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and southeast Asia east to Java.

Feronia limonia is a large tree growing to 9 m tall, with rough, spiny bark. Their leaves are pinnate, with 5-7 leaflets, each leaflet 25–35 mm long and 10–20 mm broad, with a citrus-scent when crushed. Their fruit is a berry 5–9 cm diameter, and may be sweet or sour. It has a very hard rind which can be difficult to crack open, and contains sticky brown pulp and small white seeds.

Bael fruit is more popular as medicine than as food. The tannin in bael has an astringent effect that once led to its use as a general tonic and as a traditional cure for dysentery, diarrhoea, liver ailments, chronic cough and indigestion.