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Citrus Trees

Other Citrus Trees

The Seville, sour or bitter orange (C. media), is derived from a wild progenitor that grows in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains of south Asia. The flowers of this species are exceedingly fragrant and have been used to produce aromatic oils for perfumery. The large orange-red fruits of the sour orange are rather bitter and acidic. These are not often eaten, but are used to make flavorings, marmalades, candied peels, aromatic oils, and to flavor a liquor known as curacao.

The citron (C. medica) is another species native to the southern Himalayas, probably in northern India. This may be the oldest of the cultivated citrus trees, perhaps going back as far as 6,000 years. The fruit of this species is very large in comparison to those of other citrus trees, weighing as much as 6.5 lb (3 kg). The rind of the citron is thick and has a lumpy surface, and the pulpy interior is bitter. The peel of the citron is soaked in salty water, which removes much of the bitter taste. It is then candied with sugar and used to flavor cakes, pastries, and candies.

The shaddock or pomelo (C. maxima) is probably native to Southeast Asia. This species is mostly used to manufacture candied rind. The pomelo develops a large, spherical, thick-rinded fruit, weighing as much as 13 lb (6 kg), and having a diameter of up to 6 in (16 cm). The name shaddock comes from the name of a sea captain who first introduced this species to the West Indies.

Other relatively minor species of citrus trees include the Panama orange or calamondin (C. mitis) and the bergamot (C. bergamia).

Resources

Books

Hvass, E. Plants That Serve and Feed Us. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1975.

Judd, Walter S., Christopher Campbell, Elizabeth A. Kellogg, Michael J. Donoghue, and Peter Stevens. Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach. 2nd ed. with CD-ROM. Suderland, MD: Sinauer, 2002.

Klein, R. M. The Green World. An Introduction to Plants and People. New York: Harper and Row, 1987.

Bill Freedman

KEY TERMS

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Cultivar: —A distinct variety of a plant that has been bred for particular agricultural or culinary attributes. Cultivars are not sufficiently distinct in the genetic sense to be considered a subspecies.
Cutting: —A section of a stem of a plant, which can be induced to root and can thereby be used to propagate a new plant that is genetically identical to the parent.
Grafting: —A method of propagation of woody plants whereby a shoot, known as a scion, is taken from one plant and inserted into a rootstock of another plant. The desired traits of the scion for horticultural or agricultural purposes are genetically based. Through grafting, large numbers of plants with these characteristics can be readily and quickly developed.
Scurvy: —A disease of humans that is caused by an insufficient supply of ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, in the diet. The symptoms of scurvy include spongy, bleeding gums, loosening and loss of teeth, and subcutaneous bleeding. It can ultimately lead to death.
Tissue culture: —This is a relatively recently developed method of growing large numbers of genetically identical plants. In tissue culture, small quantities of undifferentiated cells are grown on an artificial growth medium, and are then caused to develop into small plantlets by subjecting them to specific treatments with growth-regulating hormones.

Additional topics

Science EncyclopediaScience & Philosophy: Chimaeras to ClusterCitrus Trees - Biology Of Citrus, Cultivation And Economic Products Of Citrus Trees, The Sweet Orange, The Tangerine Or Mandarin Orange - The grapefruit, The lime