Behenta
Limonia acidissima
Fruit Plants & Bushes Difficulty: Easy
📖 About this plant
Limonia acidissima (wood apple or ‘Behenta’ in Odia, also called Kaitha) is a small deciduous tree of the Rutaceae family. The tree produces hard-shelled woody fruits containing brown pulp that is sour-sweet — eaten fresh with sugar, or made into chutney, sharbat, and juices. Fruits are used in Ayurvedic medicine for digestive complaints. Leaves and bark are used in traditional medicine. The tree is drought-tolerant and is naturally found in dry tropical forests.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
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Light
Full sun
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Water
Drought-tolerant; weekly when young
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Humidity
Low to moderate
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Temperature
20-38°C
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Soil
Well-draining; tolerates poor soils
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Fertilizer
Compost annually
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia
- 📏 Max height
- 5-10 m
- 📐 Spread
- 4-6 m
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Spring (small white-green flowers)
- 🎨 Bloom color
- White-green
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Deciduous pinnate green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- 50+ years
- 📈 Growth rate
- Slow
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic
- 🌱 Propagation
- Seeds
🛡️ Health & Safety
🐾 Pet safe
✅ Non-toxic
Non-toxic
Common issues
- Leaf spot, citrus canker, fruit borer
💡 Care tips
- Plant in full sun. Tolerates drought. Harvest fruits when shell is hard and greyish.
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