Wood Apple (Feronia limonia Linn.)

Abstract

The wood apple, Feronia limonia (Linn.) Swingle, synonyms Limonia acidissima L., Feronia elephantum correa, and Schinus limonia L., is the species of its genus, in the family Rutaceae. Besides wood apple, it may be called elephant apple, monkey fruit, curd fruit, kath bel, and other dialectal names in India. The plant is a native and common in the wild in dry plains of India and Ceylon. The plants are hardy with deep penetrating root system, which makes them survive harsh soil and climatic condition. In India, the fruit was traditionally a “poor man’s food” until processing techniques were developed in the mid-1950s. The fruit is much used in India as a liver and cardiac tonic and, when unripe, as a means to halt persisting diarrhea and dysentery and effective treatment for hiccup, sore throat, and diseases of the gums. In a Poultice, the pulp is used to help with bites and stings of venomous insects, as is the powdered rind.