32 



Bengal Quince, Aegle Marraelos 

 Description and Habitat 



The Bengal Quince grov/s on a moderate sized tree, the 

 fruit Is nutritious and fragrant, Its cells twelve In number, 

 containing a tenacious transparent gluten, considered very 

 wholesome, and esteemed an useful laxative. 



Throughout India, In dry hilly places, from the Jhelum to 



, Assam, and southv;ards to Travancor ; wild or cultivated 

 ascending to 4,000 feet In the yfestern Himalaya. 



A small deciduous glabrous tree ; spines 1 In., straight, 

 strong, axillary, leaflets 3-5, ovate, lanceolate, lateral 

 sessile, terminal long-petloled. Flower 1 l/4 In. diameter, 

 greenish white, sweet scented ; pedicles and calyx pubescent. 

 Filaments sometimes fascicled. Fruit 2-5 In. diameter, glo- 

 bose oblong or pyrlforra, rind grey or yellow ; pulp sweet, 

 thick, orange colored. A species or variety with otolong 

 fruit Is grovm in Burmah. 



Although heavy and soldL(J, the fruit floats In water. The 

 rind Is pale green, and when ripe of a yellowish brown studded 

 with large and SJnall oil cells. The interior surface is 

 studded with open mouthed cells, which pour their gummy secre- 

 tion into the Interior of the carpal, and fill it bathing the 

 seed. The gum is a sticky astringent substance, soluble in 

 water. The gum cells are more numerous towards the eircura- 

 ferentlal side of the carp 1, which is also the case with 

 citrus Juice vesicles. Bonavia looks upon these gum sacs as 

 the horaologues of the citrus juice vesicles. The rim 



