Thai Wood Apple Trees

Wood apple, also known as elephant apple or monkey fruit, is a tropical fruit-bearing tree belonging to the Rutaceae family. Here's a general description of the wood apple plant:

1. Appearance: The wood apple tree is a medium to large-sized evergreen tree with a rounded crown and a thick trunk. It can reach a height of up to 15 meters (approximately 49 feet).

2. Leaves: The leaves of the wood apple tree are pinnate, meaning they have multiple leaflets arranged on opposite sides of a central stem. Each leaflet is leathery, dark green, and oblong in shape.

3. Flowers: The tree produces small, greenish-white flowers in clusters, which have a pleasant fragrance.

4. Fruit: The wood apple fruit is the most notable part of the tree. It is round and roughly the size of a large grapefruit. The fruit's outer shell is hard, woody, and rough, hence the name "wood apple." The shell needs to be cracked open to reveal the pulp inside.

5. Pulp: Inside the fruit, there is a brownish, aromatic pulp that is fibrous and has a sweet-tart flavor. The pulp is often consumed fresh, used to make beverages, or included in traditional dishes and chutneys.

6. Habitat: Wood apple trees thrive in tropical and subtropical regions and are commonly found in India, Sri Lanka, and other Southeast Asian countries.

7. Uses: Apart from its culinary uses, various parts of the wood apple plant have medicinal properties and are used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments.