Kodbel or Elephant wood apple, Feronia limonia

Kodbel or Elephant wood apple (Feronia limonia, family: Rutaceae) is medium-sized fruit-giving tree with straight trunk and numerous branches. Bark is dark grey. It has straight spines in axil. Some parts of the tree are quite fragrant--leaves, ripe fruits, seeds etc. The tree is planted as ornamental one in parks and gardens nowadays in Bangladesh. It is planted in the country as a homestead tree too.

Other Bangla names: Koyetbel, Chirpaki.

Leaflet is small, 5-7, and 3-4 cm wide, opposite, cuneate or obovate. Leaves are scented.  

Flowers are good-looking, showy. Those are reddish; calyx 5-lobbed, triangular; petals ovate. Male and female flowers can be seen in the same panicle. Flower blooms in March-April. 

Fruit is round, greenish white or yellowish white at a glance, 8-10 cm in diameter. Skin is very hard but fragile. The pulp is fleshy and soft. Raw pulp is light brown, ripe is deep chocholate or yelowish brown. 

The ripe fruit is quite aromatic. It tastes sour with the mixture of sweetness. Fruit contains many seeds, those are light brown in color. It takes a long time to ripen the fruit, that does not come to 

market before September-October.

The propagation of the plant is caused by seeds and cuttings. Where the seed falls, the seedlings come out easily. The plantation of the tree is much like Bel or Wood apple.

The wood is hard and it is used to build house and agricultural instruments. Trunk yields a kind gum. Jelly is made from its fruit-pulp's acid. In Bangladesh, its pulp is very popular among the children. Elephants love to eat the fruit.