Limonia acidissima

• Botanical Name : Limonia acidissima L.
• Synonyms : Feronia limonia (L.) Swingle, Feronia elephantum Correa
• Common Name : Wood Apple, Kothu, Kavath
• Plant Family : Rutaceae
• Plant Form : Tree
• Occurrence (Special Areas) : Indroda Park, Aranya Van

About Limonia acidissima Plant :

• Habit : A big tree armed with spines.
• Leaves : Imparipinnate, petiole and rachis flat, narrowly winged, leaflets 3-9, opposite, obovate or wedge-shaped.
• Inflorescence : Panicles
• Flowers :
  • Small, numerous, dull-red, in lateral or terminal, hairy, panicles with male and female flowers. Calyx small, 5-6 triangular lobes.
  • Petals 5-6, free, elliptic-oblong, deflexed.
  • Stamens 10-12, filaments hairy at base, anthers large, linear-oblong.
  • Ovary sessile, oblong, 1-celled, ovules many, placenta parietal, style 0, stigma oblong.
• Fruit :
  • Berry amphisarca-globose, hard, many seeded, rough, grey-coloured.
  • Seeds embedded in edible pulp.
• Flowering and Fruiting Time : March - May
• Significance :
  • Wild everywhere or cultivated for its fruits.
  • Ripe fruits used for chutneys or jellies and a good tonic for liver and lungs, stomites and sore throat.