Citrus

genus of fruit-bearing plants (source of fruit such as lemons and oranges)

Citrus is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae.

Citrus
Various citrus fruits
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Subfamily: Aurantioideae
Tribe: Citreae
Subtribe: Citrinae
Genus: Citrus
L.
Species and hybrids

Ancestral species:
Citrus maximaPomelo
Citrus medicaCitron
Citrus reticulataMandarin orange
Citrus micrantha – a papeda
Citrus hystrixKaffir lime
Citrus cavaleriei - Ichang papeda
Citrus japonica - Kumquat


Important hybrids:
Citrus × aurantiifoliaKey lime
Citrus × aurantiumBitter orange
Citrus × latifoliaPersian lime
Citrus × limonLemon
Citrus × limoniaRangpur
Citrus × paradisiGrapefruit
Citrus × sinensisSweet orange
Citrus × tangerinaTangerine
See also below for other species and hybrids.

Synonyms

Eremocitrus
Microcitrus

Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits. The genus Citrus is native to South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Melanesia, and Australia. For thousands of years, people in these areas grew citrus plants.

Citrus fruits include oranges, lemons, grapefruits, limes, citrons, pomelos, and kumquats.

Citrus reached Micronesia and Polynesia with the Austronesian expansion around 3000-1500 BC. It reached the Middle East and Mediterranean around 1200 BC, and then Europe.[1][2][3][4]

References

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  1. Wu GA, Terol J, Ibanez V, López-García A, Pérez-Román E, Borredá C, Domingo C, Tadeo FR, Carbonell-Caballero J, Alonso R, Curk F, Du D, Ollitrault P, Roose ML, Dopazo J, Gmitter FG, Rokhsar DS, Talon M (February 2018). "Genomics of the origin and evolution of Citrus". Nature. 554 (7692): 311–316. Bibcode:2018Natur.554..311W. doi:10.1038/nature25447. PMID 29414943.
  2. Fuller, Dorian Q.; Castillo, Cristina; Kingwell-Banham, Eleanor; Qin, Ling; Weisskopf, Alison (2017). "Charred pomelo peel, historical linguistics and other tree crops: approaches to framing the historical context of early Citrus cultivation in East, South and Southeast Asia". In Zech-Matterne, Véronique; Fiorentino, Girolamo (eds.). AGRUMED: Archaeology and history of citrus fruit in the Mediterranean (PDF). Publications du Centre Jean Bérard. pp. 29–48. doi:10.4000/books.pcjb.2107. ISBN 9782918887775.
  3. Zech-Matterne, Véronique; Fiorentino, Girolamo; Coubray, Sylvie; Luro, François (2017). "Introduction". In Zech-Matterne, Véronique; Fiorentino, Girolamo (eds.). AGRUMED: Archaeology and history of citrus fruit in the Mediterranean: Acclimatization, diversification, uses. Publications du Centre Jean Bérard. ISBN 9782918887775.
  4. Langgut, Dafna (June 2017). "The Citrus Route Revealed: From Southeast Asia into the Mediterranean". HortScience. 52 (6): 814–822. doi:10.21273/HORTSCI11023-16.