Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Aegle marmelos - Bael Fruit, Bengal Quince

Edible Portion: Fruit, Leaves Condiment, Spice, Vegetable

A medium sized tree. It loses its leaves. It grows to 3-6-12 m tall and spreads 2 m across. The stem is erect and thorny. The leaves are green and with 3 leaflets and generally sword shaped. They are aromatic. The flowers are yellowish-white. They have a strong sweet smell. They contain both sexes and occur in clusters. The fruit is large and with a hard shell about 3 mm thick. It is 8-10 cm across. The fruit is yellow-green when ripe. The pulp is reddish or orange. The pulp of the fruit is edible. The fruit is made up of small cells (about 15) each with woolly seeds.