Bael
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Subclass: Rosidae Order: Sapindales Family: Rutaceae Genus: Aegle Species: A. marmelos
Binomial name
Aegle marmelos (L.) Corr. Serr.

Bael (Aegle marmelos) is a fruit-bearing tree indigenous to dry forests on hills and plains of central and southern India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. 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, or Beli fruit, Bengal quince, Stone apple, or 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. For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta - rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta - zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta - trimerophytes Pteridophyta - ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants... It has been suggested that Angiospermae, and Anthophyta be merged into this article or section. ... Orders See text. ... Orders See text The botanical Sub-class Rosidae is a large dicotyledonous flowering plant taxon, containing over 58,000 species grouped within 108 families. ... Families See text Sapindales is a botanical name for an order of flowering plants. ... Genera About 160 genera; selected important genera: Amyris - West Indian Sandalwood Choisya - Mexican orange Citrus - Citrus Dictamnus - Burning-bush Fortunella - Kumquat Melicope - Corkwood, Alani Murraya - Curry tree Phellodendron - Cork-trees Poncirus - Trifoliate orange Ptelea - Hoptree Ruta - Rue Skimmia - Skimmia Tetradium (Euodia) - Euodias Zanthoxylum - Toothache trees Rutaceae is a family of... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[1] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth. ... Map of Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia (Malay: Semenanjung Malaysia) is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula, and shares a land border with Thailand in the north. ... Java (Indonesian, Javanese, and Sundanese: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia, and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. ... A Phalaenopsis flower A flower, (<Old French flo(u)r<Latin florem<flos), also known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). ... Fruit stall in Barcelona, Spain. ...

The fruit is eaten fresh or dried. 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. The young leaves and small shoots are eaten as salad greens. The fruit is also used in religious rituals and as a homeopathic remedy for such ailments as diarrhea, dysentery, intestinal parasites, dryness of the eyes, and the common cold. A glass of American lemonade with ice cubes Lemonade is a soft drink that is made with lemons. ... Sharbat (Urdu: شربت ) is a popular Middle Eastern and South Asian juice that is prepared from fruits or flower petals. ... Binomial name Tamarindus indica L. The Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) is the only species of the genus Tamarindus in the family Fabaceae. ... Fresh Swiss chard Fresh water spinach Creamed spinach Steamed kale Leaf vegetables, also called potherbs, greens, or leafy greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ... Types 5-7 on the Bristol Stool Chart are often associated with diarrhea Diarrhea (in American English) or diarrhoea (in British English) is a generally unpleasant condition in which the sufferer has frequent watery, loose bowel movements (from the ancient Greek word διαρροή = leakage; literally meaning to run through). Acute infectious... Dysentery is an illness (formerly known as the bloody flux or simply flux) involving severe diarrhea that is often associated with blood in the feces. ... Intestinal parasites are parasites that populate the gastro-intestinal tract. ... // Acute viral nasopharyngitis, often known as the common cold, is a mild viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system (nose and throat). ...

In Hinduism, the Lord Shiva is said to live under the Bael tree. In India, the tree is often found in temple gardens. Hinduism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ...

In the traditional culture of Nepal, the Bael tree is part of an important fertility ritual for girls known as the Bel baha. A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. ... Bel baha is a ceremony in Nepal in which pre-adolescent girls are married to the bel fruit tree, ensuring that the girl becomes and remains fertile. ...

This tree is a larval foodplant for the following two Indian Swallowtail butterflies, the Lime Butterfly Papilio demoleus and the Common Mormon Papilio polytes. Author: Latreille, 1802 Type species: Papilio machaon (Common Yellow Swallowtail) Diversity: 26 genera 605 species Genera Subfamily Baroniinae Baronia Subfamily Parnassiinae Archon Hypermnestra Parnassus Luehdorfia Bhutantis Alancastria Serecinus Subfamily Papilioninae Eurytides Graphium Iphiclides Lamproptera Mimoides Protesilaus Protographium Teinopalpus Atrophaneura Battus Byasa Cressida Euryades Losaria Ornithoptera Pachliopta Parides Pharmacophagus Trogonoptera Troides... Binomial name Papilio demoleus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Common Lime or the Lemon Butterfly (Papilio demoleus) is a common and widespread Swallowtail butterfly. ... Binomial name Papilio polytes (Linneaus, 1758) The Common Mormon Papilio polytes is a common species of swallowtail butterfly found in India , Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Malaysia, the Phillipines and the Moluccas. ...

Reference

H.K.Bakhru (1997). Foods that Heal. The Natural Way to Good Health. Orient Paperbacks. ISBN 81-222-0033-8. 

External links

• Bael Fruit entry in Fruits of Warm Climates by J. F. Morton

The leaves of the Bael tree are used in the worship of Lord Shiva especially during Maha Shivaratri.