A fruit bearing thorny deciduous tree which grows to circa 10 meters, sometimes higher, and found growing in the lower Himalayas and throughout the Indian subcontinent, and particularly abundantly in dry deciduous forests.

Known also as the Bengal Quince or Bael Fruit it is usually eaten fresh, though it is also used with Tamarind in making a thirst-quenching and refreshing drink. It is also made into a jam. The ripe fruit are used to treat dysentry and diarrhoea.

Ethnoveterinary applications: primarily for treating diarrhoea in ruminants, and all parts of the tree - flowers, leaf, root, fruit, bark – are used.