Aegle marmelos
| Bael | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Rutaceae |
| Subfamily: | Aurantioideae |
| Tribe: | Aurantieae |
| Genus: |
Aegle Corrêa |
| Species: | A. marmelos |
| Binomial name | |
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Aegle marmelos (L.) Corrêa |
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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 Bangladesh and 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.
The tree is called "bael" (বেল) in Bengali, "belpatthar ka paid" or "बेल पत्र का पेड़"in Hindi "belaache zaad" or "बेलाचे झाड" in Marathi, "ಬಿಲ್ಪತ್ರೆ ಮರ" and the religious tree "ಬಿಲ್ವ" or "ಬಿಲ್ಪತ್ರೆ" in Kannada, "vilvamaram" (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, and bilva and maredu (మారేడు) in Telugu. Billu (બિલ્લુ ) in Gujarati. It is called Sivadruma by the Hindus and is considered as a sacred herb.
Bael is the only member of the monotypic genus Aegle. It is a deciduous shrub or small to medium sized tree, up to 13m tall with slender drooping branches and rather shabby crown.
The bark is pale brown or grayish, smooth or finely fissured and flaking, armed with long straight spines, 1.2-2.5 cm singly or in pairs, often with slimy sap oozing out from cut parts. The gum is also described as a clear, gummy sap, resembling gum arabic, which 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.
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Wikipedia