citrus fruits
citrus fruits,
widely used edible fruits of plants belonging to Citrus and related genera of the family Rutaceae (orangeorange,name for a tree of the family Rutaceae (rue, or orange, family), native to China and Indochina, and for its fruit, the most important fresh fruit of international commerce.
..... Click the link for more information. family). Included are the tangerine, citrange, tangelo, orange, pomelo, grapefruitgrapefruit,
pomelo
, or pummelo
, citrus fruit (Citrus paradisi) of the family Rutaceae (orange family). The grapefruit is so named because it grows in grapelike bunches. The large globular fruit weighs from 1 to 5 lb (0.45–2.27 kg).
..... Click the link for more information. , lemonlemon,
one of the citrus fruits, from a tree (Citrus limon) of the family Rutaceae (orange family), probably native to India. A small tree (to about 15 ft/5 m tall) with thorny branches and purple-edged white blossoms, it requires a mild, equable climate.
..... Click the link for more information. , limelime,
in botany, small shrublike tree (Citrus aurantifolia) of the family Rutaceae (rue family), one of the citrus fruit trees, similar to the lemon but more spreading and irregular in growth.
..... Click the link for more information. , citroncitron
, name for a tree (Citrus medica) of the family Rutaceae (orange family), and for its fruit, the earliest of the citrus fruits to be introduced to Europe from Asia.
..... Click the link for more information. , and kumquatkumquat
, ornamental shrub of the genus Fortunella of the family Rutaceae (rue family), closely related to the orange and other citrus fruits. It has evergreen leaves, sweet-scented white flowers, and small, orange-yellow edible fruits which are eaten fresh or in
..... Click the link for more information. . Almost all the species bearing edible fruits are small trees native to SE Asia, Indonesia, or Malaysia. The citron was introduced to the Mediterranean area from Asia before the advent of Christianity; the others were spread chiefly by the Arabs during the Middle Ages. Introduced throughout Europe during the Crusades, they were brought by Portuguese and Spanish explorers to the West Indies, whence they were introduced into North and South America. Commercially they are now the most important group of tropical and subtropical fruits in the world. The fruits are rich in vitamin C (ascorbic acid), various fruit acids (especially citric acidcitric acid
or 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid,
HO2CCH2C(OH)(CO2H)CH2CO2H, an organic carboxylic acid containing three carboxyl groups; it is a solid at room temperature, melts at 153°C;, and
..... Click the link for more information. ), and fruit sugar. The rind, which contains numerous oil glands, and the fragrant blossoms of some species are also a source of essential oils used for perfumes and similar products. Citrus fruits can be damaged by freezing temperatures, pests (scale insects, rust mites), and various bacterial, viral, and fungal diseases (e.g., citrus canker, greening, tristeza, and melanose).
Bibliography
See W. Reuther, ed., The Citrus Industry (3 vol., 1968–78); R. W. Ward and R. L. Kilmer, The Citrus Industry (1989).
