Citrus Fruits

It is unlikely you have ever run across more than the 12 genus Citrus plants listed here in the primary list, but 30 or 40 more species exist beyond these.

Original Citrus Species

    1. Lime, Common lime, Acid lime, Mexican lime, West Indian lime, Sour lime, Large lime, Key lime
    2. Mandarin, Common mandarin, True mandarin, Mandarin orange, Culate mandarin, Suntara orange
    3. Citron
    4. Pummelo (USA), Pomelo, Shaddock, Thai grapefruit, West Indian pomelo

Ancient Hybrid Citrus "Species"

    5. Lemon (lime X citron)
    6. Orange, Sweet Orange (pummelo X mandarin)
    7. Sour Orange, Bitter Orange, Seville Orange (pummelo X mandarin)

Modern Hybrid Citrus "Species"

    8. Common grapefruit, Western grapefruit (sweet orange X pummelo)
    9. Tangelo, Ugli fruit (grapefruit X mandarin)
    10. Tangor, Temple Orange (mandarin X sweet orange)
    11. Tahiti lime, Seedless lime, Persian lime, Bearss lime (lime X citron (like the lemon) or possibly lime X lemon)
    12. Chinese lemon, Medicinal lemon, Canton lemon, Cantonese lemon, Lemandarin, Mandarin lemon, Mandarin lime (mandarin X lime)

Primary Citrus (C.) Species
   
1. C. aurantiifolia Lime, Common lime, Acid lime, Mexican lime, West Indian lime, Sour lime, Large lime, Key lime

"Originates from tropical Southeast Asia"

Variants:

'Kai' Oval Thai lime

'Paan' Globe-shaped Thai lime

'lumia' French lime, Pear lemon, Sweet lemon

"Garnish and flavoring for fish and meats, for adding zest to cold drinks, and for making limeade" Note: "Key Lime Pie" is nowadays largely made from the frozen concentrate of the 'Tahiti' lime. [Report from Brazil: Lemon and acid limes are all locally called "Iimao" and they comprise about 6 percent of the total citrus area. Plantings of 'Tahiti' lime are rapidly expanding and probably accountnow for more than 50 percent of all acid fruits. 'Mexican' lime comes next (about 22 percent) but most plantings are growing poorly, affected by tristeza stem pitting. 'Eureka' lemon types locally named 'Siciliano' comprise another 20 percent. The main harvest season for lemons and limes extends from December through May.]
   
2. C. reticulata Blanco Mandarin, Common mandarin, True mandarin, Mandarin orange, Culate mandarin, Suntara orange

Class I, Mandarin

Class II, Tangerine

Class III, Satsuma (known as Mikan in Japan, where it originates, most canned mandarins are satsumas)

"Probably domesticated in tropical Southeast Asia. By 500 BC it was known in China and by 300 BC it was being grown commercially in central China"

Variants:

'Tangerine' Tangerine

'Tangerine cv. Clementine' Loose rind mandarin, Mandarin orange, Clementine, Algerian tangerine

'Dancy' Red tangerine, Dancy tangerine

'poonensis' or 'Ponkan' Chinese honey orange

'chachiensis' Chachi mandarin

'deliciosa' Mediterranean mandarin, Tangerine, Italian tangerine

'erythrosa' Red-skinned orange

'salicifolia' Willow-leaved mandarin

'satsuma' Satsuma orange, Emerald Tangerine

'unshiu' Unshiu orange, Unshu mandarin, Mandarin orange, Japanese mandarin, Satsuma mandarin

"Mandarin oranges & tangerines of all kinds are primarily eaten out-of-hand, or the sections are used in fruit salads, etc. Very small types are canned in syrup."
   
3. C. medica Citron

"Thought to be native to India and then to have spread prehistorically, through cultivation, to the Near East and China. By 300 BC it was known in Greece, and by 20 BC it was being cultivated in Italy."

Variants:

'Corsican' Corsican citron.

'Diamante' Italian citron.

'Palestine' Palestine citron.

'bajoura' Musk citron, Musk citron tree

'dulcis' Sweet citron, Sweet lemon, Mediterranean sweet limetta

'dulcis Corsican' Corsican sweet citron

'riversii' Bijou lime

'sarcodactylis' Fingered citron

"After partial de-salting and boiling to soften the peel, it is candied in a strong sucrose/glucose solution."
   
4. C. grandis or C. maxima Pummelo (USA), Pomelo, Shaddock, Thai grapefruit, West Indian pomelo

"Thought to have originated in Sourtheast Asia"

Variants:

grandis 'pyriformis' Chinese pear-shaped pomelo.

grandis 'shangyuan' Ichang lemon

maxima 'Kao Hawm' Round white-fleshed Thai pomelo

maxima 'Kao Nam Pueung' Pear-shaped Thai pomelo, White-fleshed Thai pomelo

maxima 'Kao Paen' Flattened Thai pomelo.

maxima 'Kao Thong Dee' Pink-fleshed Thai pomelo

"Same uses as orange, but harder to remove the peel"

Ancient Hybrid Citrus "Species"
   
5. C. limon Lemon

A hybrid between citron and lime

"Probably came from China"

Variants:

'Eureka' Eureka lemon, Italian lemon, American lemon

'variegata' Variegated lemon, Pink-fleshed lemon

"Slices of lemon are served as a garnish on fish or meat or with iced or hot tea. Lemon juice is used for lemonade, pies, other desserts, cooking and pharmaceutical products."
   
6. C. sinensis Orange, Sweet Orange

A hybrid between pummelo and mandarin (different parents and later than sour orange)

"There are clear records of Citrus sinensis in China only by the 1100's and in India by the 1300's."

Variants:

'Jaffa' Palestine orange

'Valencia' Valencia orange

'Washington Navel' or 'brasiliensis' Bahia orange, Brazilian navel, Navel orange

(Blood Group) cv. 'Maltese Blood' Maltese blood orange

(Blood Group) cv. 'Sanguine' Blood orange

(Navel Group) cv. 'Lane's Late' Lane's late navel orange, Australian navel orange

(Navel Group) cv. 'Leng' Leng navel orange, Early Australian navel orange, Thin-skinned navel

(Navel Group) cv. 'Washington' Washington Navel, Orange "Washington Navel", Seedless sweet orange, Loose-skinned sweet orange

"Oranges are primarily eaten out-of-hand or as orange juice, or the sections are used in fruit salads, etc."
   
7. C. aurantium Sour Orange, Bitter Orange, Seville Orange

A hybrid between pummelo and mandarin

"Originated in China and seems to have entered the written record there by 300 BC. It is recorded from Japan by about 100 AD. By about 100 BC, Sour Orange seeds appear to have reached Rome."

Variants:

'bergamia' Bergamot orange, Bergamot, Lemon bergamot. Grown in southern Italy for a perfume made from the rind.

'bigardia' Bigarade orange

'buxifolia' Box-leaved orange

'crispifolium' Curled leaf orange

'myrtifolia' Chinotto orange, Myrtle-leaved orange, Myrtle-leaf orange (USA), Ornamental orange

'Rough Seville' Seville orange, Spanish orange

'Smooth Seville' Smooth-skinned seville orange

"The greatest use of sour oranges as food is in the form of marmalade and for this purpose they have no equal."

Primary Citrus (C.) Hybrids
   
8. C. X paradisi Macfad Common grapefruit, Western grapefruit

A hybrid between the sweet orange and the pummelo

"thought to have originated on the island of Barbados in about 1750"

Variants:

(Pink-fleshed Group) cv. 'Foster' Pink-fleshed grapefruit

(Pink-fleshed Group) cv. 'Red Blush' Red-fleshed grapefruit

(Pink-fleshed Group) cv. 'Ruby' Reddish-rind grapefruit, Seedless pink-fleshed grapefruit, "Ruby" grapefruit

(Pink-fleshed Group) cv. 'Thompson' Pink-fleshed grapefruit, "Thompson" grapefruit

(White-fleshed Group) cv. 'Duncan' White-fleshed grapefruit, "Duncan" grapefruit.

(White-fleshed Group) cv. 'Marsh' Seedless white-fleshed grapefruit, "Marsh" grapefruit.

(White-fleshed Group) cv. 'Ray Ruby' "Ray Ruby" grapefruit, Pomelo "Ray Ruby".

(White-fleshed Group) cv. 'Wheeny' "Wheeny" grapefruit.

"Grapefruit juice, or as a breakfast fruit, chilled, cut in half, the sections loosened from the peel and each other by a special curved knife."
   
9. C. paradisi X C. reticulata, C. X tangelo Tangelo

A hybrid between the grapefruit and the mandarin orange.

Variants:

'Ugli' Ugli fruit, a chance hybrid
   
10. C. reticulata X C. sinensis, C. X nobilis Tangor

A hybrid between the mandarin and the sweet orange

Variants:

'Temple' Temple Orange
   
11. C. latifolia Tahiti lime, Seedless lime, Persian lime, Bearss lime

"Presumed to be a hybrid of the Mexican lime and citron, or, less likely, the lemon"

"Same purposes as the Mexican lime"
   
12. C. X limonia Chinese lemon, Medicinal lemon, Canton lemon, Cantonese lemon, Lemandarin, Mandarin lemon, Mandarin lime

A hybrid between the mandarin orange and the lime (very cold-hardy)

Variants:

'gaoganensis' Gaogan lemon

'hainanensis' Hainan Island lemon

'khatta' Khatta orange

'otaitensis' Otaheite orange

'rangpur' Rangpur lime

Posted in Citrus Fruits