Aegle marmelos, Correa.
(Syn. Crataeva marmelos)
Family: Rutaceae

Common Name : Stone apple, Bel

Telugu Name : Maredu
General :
     It is common in moist forests. It is characterized by trifoliate leaf, presence of axillary spines and soft, grey bark exfoliating in irregular flakes. It is found typically on stiff, dry, clayey and alluvial soils.

Flowering :

Dull white flowers appear in March-May
Fruiting :
Fruits appear immediately but ripen in summer of the following year.
Morphology of the Fruit/Seed :
Fruit is 5 to 18 cms diam., globose, grey or yellowish woody rind having a mass of orange coloured sweet aromatic pulp. Seeds nemerous, oblong, compressed with a wooly mucous testa, embedded in a clear mucilage.
Seed Collection and Storage :
The ripen fruits are collected and the hard rind is broken to get the pulp which on continuous washing gives the seeds. The seeds are mixed with ash and then dried. They can be stored inside tin boxes. The seeds have short viability. They should be used soon after collection.
Seed Biology :

No.of seeds per kg.

Germination percentage

Plant Percent

No.of seedlings per kg. of seed

Germination period in days

5300

56

40

2120

10 to 25
Pretreatment :

No pretreatment is required

Nursery Technique :

fresh seeds are sown in polythene bags in April-May. The germination comes in 10 to 15 days. The growth of the seedlings is very slow and hence should be kept in nursery for two years. The seeds can also be sown in primary beds and 2 months old seedlings can be transplanted into the polybags.