Wood Apple is one of the
edible fruits native to India and parts of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and
southeast Asia east to Java. These fruits are grown throughout India and can be
cultivated along both peninsulas of the country. These plants can survive in dry regions with
minimum water requirement. Wood apple has excellent health benefits along with
some religious use. Most of the people grow as side crop by planting on
borders. Wood apple is not cultivated as commercial crop in India. However,
Maharashtra grows some of the larger, sweeter varieties on large scale.
Currently, wood apple is also grown in Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, and other
parts of Southeast Asia. Farmers in dry regions with less rainfall can opt for
this crop. Wood apple belongs to genus of "Limonia" in the family
"Rutaceae". When it comes to its plant and fruit description, wood
apple or Limonia acidissima is a large tree with long leaves, a hard berry
fruit and an inner sticky brown pulp. The wood apple fruit is
round to oval, 5-12 cm wide, with a hard, woody, grayish-white, scurfy rind
about 6 mm thick. These trees can be grown in any waste lands or back yards. In
south India, this fruit has significant religious importance in Ganesh chaturthi. Read more about this fruit growing here.
