Common Name: Wood Apple

General Information

Wood apple is a deciduous, erect tree with a few upward-reaching branches bending outward near the summit where they are subdivided into slender branchlets drooping at the tips[]. It can grow up to 9 metres tall.
A true multipurpose tree, it is both gathered from the wild and also cultivated for its edible fruit, plus its wide range of medicinal and other uses[]. The tree is often cultivated in the tropics for its edible fruit[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - southern China, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand.

Habitat

Dry plains, up to an elevation of 450 metres in the Himalayas[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	9.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the drier tropical and subtropical lowlands, where it is found at elevations up to 450 metres. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperatures are within the range 20 - 29°c, and the mean annual rainfall is in the range 800 - 1,200mm, preferring a monsoon climate with a distinct dry season[].
Prefers a deep, well-drained but moisture-retentive loamy soil in full sun[]. Tolerates a wide range of soils, but prefers lighter ones[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6[].
A slow-growing tree. Seedling trees can take 15 years before they commence producing fruit[].
There are two forms of the species, one has large, sweet-tasting fruits whilst the other has small, acid fruits[].
The plant is usually deciduous, but is often evergreen in tropical climates[].
The leaves smell of aniseed[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw. The orange-sized, woody fruit has an aromatic, sour-sweet, somewhat mealy pulp that is eaten raw, or made into jellies, jams, chutneys, sherbets etc[]. It can be blended with coconut milk and palm-sugar syrup and drunk as a beverage, or frozen as an ice cream[]. The juice is purple-coloured and much like that made from blackcurrants[]. The rind is very tough and must be cracked with a hammer[].
The pulp represents 36% of the whole fruit[]. The pectin content of the pulp is 3-5% (16% yield on dry-weight basis) and has potential for multiple uses[].

Young leaves - raw[].

The seeds contain a bland, non-bitter oil that is high in unsaturated fatty acids[]. The report does not make it clear if the oil is edible[].

Medicinal

The fruit contains fruit acids, vitamins and minerals[]. It is used mainly as a liver tonic to stimulate the digestive system[, ]. The fruit is also astringent, especially when unripe, and a cardiac tonic[].
The pulp of the fruit, especially when unripe, is used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery[, ]. The fruit is also seen as an effective treatment for hiccough, sore throat and diseases of the gums[].
Both the fruit pulp and the powdered rind can be poulticed onto bites and stings of venomous insects[].
The fruit is part of a formula that is applied as a paste to the breasts in order to tone them[].

The leaves contain tannins and an essential oil[]. They are astringent and are used internally, often combined with milk and sugar, in the treatment of indigestion, flatulence, diarrhoea, dysentery (especially in children) and haemorrhoids[].
An oil derived from the crushed leaves is applied on itchy skins[].

The powdered gum, mixed with honey, is given to overcome dysentery and diarrhoea in children[].

The spines are crushed with those of other trees and an infusion taken as a remedy for menorrhagia[].

The bark is chewed with that of Barringtonia and applied on venomous wounds[].

Other Uses

The seeds contain a bland, non-bitter oil that is high in unsaturated fatty acids[].

The plant has been used as a rootstock for Citrus species because of its water tolerance[].

The trunk and branches exude a white, transparent gum, especially following the rainy season[]. It is utilized as a substitute for, or adulterant of gum arabic, and also in making artists' watercolours, ink, dyes and varnish[]. It consists of 35.5% arabinose and xylose, 42.7% d-galactose, and traces of rhamnose and glucuronic acid[].

The wood is yellow-grey or whitish, hard, heavy, durable. It is valued for construction, pattern-making, agricultural implements, rollers for mills, carving, rulers, and other products[].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed -
Root cuttings.
Air layering.
Budding onto seedling stock.

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