Limonia acidissima

Limonia acidissima
In Trincomalee, Sri Lanka
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Subfamily: Aurantioideae
Genus: Limonia
L.
Species:
L. acidissima
Binomial name
Limonia acidissima
L.
Synonyms

Genus:[1]

  • Anisifolium Rumph. ex Kuntze
  • Feronia Corrêa
  • Hesperethusa M.Roem.
  • Winterlia Dennst.

Species:[2]

  • Schinus limonia L.
  • Crateva balangas K.D.Koenig
  • Crateva vallanga J.Koenig ex Wight & Arn.
  • Anisifolium curvispina (Miq.) Kuntze
  • Anisifolium limonia Kuntze
  • Anisifolium spectabile (Miq.) Kuntze
  • Feronia balanghas (K.D.Koenig) Steud.
  • Feronia elephantum Corrêa
  • Feronia limonia (L.) Swingle
  • Hesperethusa acidissima (L.) M.Roem.
  • Hesperethusa ambigua M.Roem.
  • Limonia ambigua DC.
  • Limonia curvispina Miq.
  • Limonia dulcis J.F.Gmel.
  • Limonia elephantum (Corrêa) Panigrahi
  • Limonia engleriana Perkins
  • Limonia pinnatifolia Houtt.
  • Limonia spectabilis Miq.
  • Murraya odorata Blanco

Limonia acidissima is the only species within the monotypic genus Limonia. Common names for this South Asian species in English include wood-apple and elephant-apple.[3] It is sometimes also called monkey fruit.

Description

Limonia acidissima is a large tree growing to 9 metres (30 ft) tall with rough, spiny bark.[4] The leaves are pinnate, with 5–7 leaflets, each leaflet 25–35 mm long and 10–20 mm broad, with a citrus-scent when crushed.[4] The flowers are white and have five petals. The large fruit is a berry 5–9 cm diameter, and may be sweet or sour.[5] It has a very hard rind similar to a rock, which can be cracked open. It appears greenish-brown on the outside, and contains sticky brown pulp and small white seeds.[5] The fruit looks similar in appearance to the bael fruit (Aegle marmelos).

Taxonomy

A number of other species formerly included in the genus are now treated in the related genera Atalantia, Citropsis, Citrus, Glycosmis, Luvunga, Murraya, Micromelum, Naringi, Pamburus, Pleiospermium, Severinia, Skimmia, Swinglea, and Triphasia.[6]

Distribution

Limonia acidissima is native to India (including the Andaman Islands), Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.[7][8] The species has also been introduced to Indochina and Malesia.[8][7]

Uses

The fruit is used to make a fruit juice with astringent properties and jams. Ripe fruit can be used as a pickle (mashed with green chili pepper, sugar and salt only).[9]

In some parts of India, mainly Gujarat, the fruit pulp is used to make chutney, which is then used as a main condiment in and on top of meals, especially in winter.[citation needed]

The wood apple is ubiquitous in Tamil Nadu, where the ripe fruit is eaten mixed with sugar or another sweetener. The name of the wood apple (vilam) is used as the canonical example of a two-syllable prosodic foot in traditional Tamil song.[10]

In Myanmar, the wood is used to make the distinctive local face cream thanaka.[11]

Nutrition

The fruit contains a considerable amount of protein, carbohydrate, iron, fat, calcium, and vitamins B and C.

Woodapple, raw (daily value)
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy518.816 kJ (124.000 kcal)
18.1 g
Sugars0 g
Dietary fiber5 g
3.7 g
7.1 g
Vitamins and minerals
VitaminsQuantity
%DV†
Vitamin A equiv.
1%
61 μg
Thiamine (B1)
3%
0.04 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
1308%
17 mg
Niacin (B3)
50%
8 mg
Vitamin C
3%
3 mg
MineralsQuantity
%DV†
Calcium
10%
130 mg
Iron
33%
6 mg
Magnesium
10%
41 mg
Manganese
783%
18 mg
Phosphorus
9%
110 mg
Zinc
91%
10 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Water64.2 g
values are for edible portion
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults.[12]
Source: Fruit - Wood Apple, archived from the original on July 9, 2022, retrieved January 19, 2026
  • Woodapple fruit
    Woodapple fruit
  • Opened woodapple fruit
    Opened woodapple fruit
  • A glass of woodapple juice
    A glass of woodapple juice

References

  1. ^ "Limonia L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  2. ^ "Limonia acidissima L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  3. ^ "Limonia acidissima". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  4. ^ a b Rodrigues, Sueli; de Brito, Edy Sousa; de Oliveira Silva, Ebenezer (2018-01-01), "Wood Apple—Limonia acidissima", Exotic Fruits, Academic Press, pp. 443–446, doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-803138-4.00060-5, retrieved 2025-11-15
  5. ^ a b Morton, Julia F. (2013). Fruits of Warm Climates. Echo Point Books & Media. pp. 428–432. ISBN 978-1626549722.
  6. ^ John H. Wiersema (2005-02-22). "Species in GRIN for genus". Ars-grin.gov. Archived from the original on 2000-11-02. Retrieved 2011-04-19.
  7. ^ a b "Limonia acidissima L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  8. ^ a b Smith, Albert C. (1985). Flora Vitiensis nova : a new Flora of Fiji (spermatophytes only). Vol. 3. Lawaii, Hawaii: Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden. pp. 526–527. ISBN 978-0-915809-22-6. Retrieved 2018-03-25 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library, digitized by Smithsonian Libraries.
  9. ^ Jaya Surya Kumari Manthena and K. Mythili (2004). "Development of wood apple pickle". Int. J. Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2014. Retrieved 2019-06-09.
  10. ^ "யாப்பு - சீர், தளை, அடி — lesson. தமிழ், தமிழ் இலக்கணம் ". www.yaclass.in. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
  11. ^ Köllner, Helmut; Bruns, Axel (1998). Myanmar (Burma). Hunter Publishing. p. 18. ISBN 9783886184156. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  12. ^ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curd_fruit