''Limonia acidissima'' is the only species within the monotypic genus ''Limonia''. Common names for the species in English include wood-apple and elephant-apple. It is sometimes also called monkey fruit.

Description

''Limonia acidissima'' is a large tree growing to tall, with rough, spiny bark. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are pinnate, with 5-7 leaflets, each leaflet 25–35 mm long and 10–20 mm broad, with a citrus-scent when crushed. The flowers are white and have five petals. The fruit is a

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

5–9 cm diameter, and may be sweet or sour. It has a very hard rind which can be difficult to crack open, it appears greenish-brown in colour from outside and contains sticky brown pulp and small white seeds. The fruit looks similar in appearance to the

Bael Bael may refer to: *''Aegle marmelos'', commonly known as the Bael tree *Bael (demon) * Bael (wrestler) See also * Baal (disambiguation) * Bail (disambiguation) Bail is the conditional release of an arrested person prior to their trial, or the mo ...

fruit ''(Aegle marmelos)''. It contains considerable amount of protein, carbohydrate, iron, fat, calcium, Vit-B & C etc. 100 g of ripe fruit pulp contains up to 49 KCal.

Taxonomy

A number of other species formerly included in the genus are now treated in the related genera ''

Atalantia ''Atalantia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the citrus family, the Rutaceae.Swingle, W. T., rev. P. C. ReeceChapter 3: The Botany of ''Citrus'' and its Wild Relatives.In: ''The Citrus Industry'' vol. 1. Webber, H. J. (ed.). Berkeley: Universit ...

'', ''

Citropsis ''Citropsis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the citrus family, Rutaceae. They are known generally as African cherry oranges.Swingle, W. T., rev. P. C. ReeceChapter 3: The Botany of ''Citrus'' and its Wild Relatives. In: ''The Citrus Industry' ...

'', '' Citrus'', ''

Glycosmis ''Glycosmis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the citrus family, Rutaceae and tribe Clauseneae.''Glyc ...

'', ''

Luvunga ''Luvunga'' is an Asian genus of plants in the family Rutaceae: tribe Citreae. Species The Catalogue of Life lists: * '' Luvunga angustifolia'' * '' Luvunga borneensis'' * '' Luvunga calophylla'' * ''Luvunga crassifolia'' * '' Luvunga eleutheran ...

'', '' Murraya'', ''

Micromelum ''Micromelum'' is a genus of eight species of flowering plants in the family Rutaceae. Description The genus includes evergreen and deciduous shrubs and trees. The leaves are glandular and aromatic, containing essential oils. They are alternate ...

'', ''

Naringi ''Naringi'' is a genus of flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') ...

'', ''

Pamburus ''Pamburus'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Rutaceae. Its native range is India and Sri Lanka. Species Species: * ''Pamburus missionis'' (Wall. ex Wight) Swingle References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2883586 Aurantioideae ...

'', '' Pleiospermium'', '' Severinia'', '' Skimmia'', '' Swinglea'', and '' Triphasia''.

Distribution

''Limonia acidissima'' is native to India (including the

Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between th ...

), Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The species has also been introduced to Indochina and Malesia.

Uses

The fruit is used to make a fruit juice with astringent properties and jams. Ripe fruit can be used as pickle (mashed with green chili pepper, sugar and salt only). Another species of this fruits are considered auspicious to be offered to Shiva and Ganesha in pujas. A majority of Hindu temples will have a sacred tree within its compound and is known as the Sthala Vriksha. In Myanmar, the wood is used to make the distinctive local face cream

thanaka Thanakha, also spelled Thanakha (; ), is a paste made from ground bark. It is a distinctive feature of the culture of Myanmar, seen commonly applied to the face and sometimes the arms of women and girls, and is used to a lesser extent also by men ...

Nutrition

References

External links

*
Purdue-hort_edu: The Wood ApplePandanus Database - ''Limonia''
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q935616, from2=Q15943539 Aurantioideae Fruits originating in Asia Citrus Flora of India (region) Flora of the Andaman Islands Trees of Sri Lanka Plants used in Ayurveda Fruit trees Trees in Buddhism Plants in Hinduism