Aegle marmelos Correa. Rutaceae. Ball Tree. Bela Tree. Bengal Quince. Golden Apple.
East Indies. The Bengal quince is held in great veneration by the Hindus. It is sacred to Siva whose worship cannot be accomplished without its leaves. It is incumbent on all Hindus to cultivate and cherish this tree and it is sacrilegious to up-root or cut it down. The Hindoo who expires under a bela tree expects to obtain immediate salvation. 6 The tenacious pulp of the fruit is used in India for sherbet and to form a conserve. Roxburgh observes that the fruit when ripe is delicious to the taste and exquisitely fragrant. Horsfield says it is considered by the Javanese to be very astringent in quality. The Bengal quince is grown in some of the gardens of Cairo. The perfumed pulp within the ligneous husk makes excellent marmalade. The orange-like fruit is very palatable and possesses aperient qualities.