Larval Host Plant

Papilio demoleus – Lime Swallowtail
Papilio polymnestor – Blue Mormon
Papilio polytes – Common Mormon

Other notes

Natural History: This is a medium-sized native tree species that occurs in S and SE Asia. The fruits are edible, and the plant is used in traditional medicine.
The species is also known as stone apple, Bengal quince, and golden apple.

References:

Nitin, R., V. C. Balakrishnan, P. V. Churi, S. Kalesh, S. Prakash, and K. Kunte. 2018. Larval host plants of the butterflies of the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 10:11495–11550. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3104.10.4.11495-11550.

WFO (2023): World Flora Online. Accessed on 21 Jan 2023. URL: http://worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000521533.

Flowers of India (2023). Accessed on 21 Jan 2023. URL: http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Bel.html.

Kasambe, R. and D. Giri. 2021. Aegle marmelos (Rutaceae): a new larval host plant for the Blue Mormon butterfly Papilio polymnestor. Bionotes, 22(4): 202-205.

Page citation

Kawthankar, N. and K. Kunte. 2024. Aegle marmelos (L.) Corrêa – Bel, Bilva. In Kunte, K., S. Sondhi, and P. Roy (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 4.12. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/aegle-marmelos, accessed 2024/04/24.