Puducherry – Bael Fruit Tree
Common Name: bael, wood apple
Local Name: Vilvam/Bilubam (Tamil), Bael (Bengal)
Botanical Name: Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa
Description: The Bael Fruit Tree is a medium-sized tree that grows up to 13m tall and has a short trunk, slender drooping branches, and an irregular crown. The bark of the tree is pale brown or grayish having long straight spines. Trifoliate leaves have a rounded/acute base and a tapering or pointed tip. Sweetly scented pale green or yellowish flowers grow at the end of twigs and leaf axils in short drooping unbranched clusters. The fruit has a typical diameter between 5 and 10 cm and is globose or slightly pear-shaped.
Economic Importance: The leaves, bark, roots, fruits, and seeds are used in traditional medicine. From fresh fruits, the juice is strained to make a sharbat called ‘Bael pana.’ One large Bael fruit can yield five to six liters of sharbat. The fruit pulp is used in the preparation of delicacies like murabba and puddings.