Kumquats, or cumquats in Australian English, are a group of small fruit-bearing trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae. They were previously classified as forming the now-historical genus Fortunella, or placed within Citrus, sensu lato.
Citrus is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus Citrus is native to South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Melanesia, and Australia. Various citrus species have been used and domesticated by indigenous cultures in these areas since ancient times. From there its cultivation spread into Micronesia and Polynesia by the Austronesian expansion ; and to the Middle East and the Mediterranean via the incense trade route, and onwards to Europe.
Calamansi, also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is an economically important citrus hybrid predominantly cultivated in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra, and Sulawesi in Indonesia in Southeast Asia, as well as southern China and Taiwan in East Asia. Calamansi is ubiquitous in traditional Filipino cuisine. It is naturally very sour, and is used in various condiments, beverages, dishes, marinades, and preserves. Calamansi is also used as an ingredient in Malaysian and Indonesian cuisines.
The mandarin orange, also known as the mandarin or mandarine, is a small citrus tree fruit. Treated as a distinct species of orange, it is usually eaten plain or in fruit salads. Tangerines are a group of orange-coloured citrus fruit consisting of hybrids of mandarin orange with some pomelo contribution.
The tangerine is a type of orange. Its scientific name varies. It has been treated as a separate species under the name Citrus tangerina or Citrus x tangerina, or treated as a variety of Citrus reticulata, the mandarine orange. Citrus tangerina is also treated as a synonym of Citrus deliciosa. It is a group of orange-coloured citrus fruit consisting of hybrids of mandarin orange varieties, with some pomelo contribution.
The tangelo, Citrus × tangelo, is a citrus fruit hybrid of a Citrus reticulata variety, such as a mandarin orange or tangerine, and a Citrus maxima variety, such as a pomelo or grapefruit. The name is a portmanteau of 'tangerine' and 'pomelo'.
The pomelo, pummelo, or in scientific terms Citrus maxima or Citrus grandis, is the largest citrus fruit from the family Rutaceae and the principal ancestor of the grapefruit. It is a natural, i.e., non-hybrid, citrus fruit, native to Southeast Asia. Similar in taste to a sweet grapefruit, the pomelo is commonly consumed and used for festive occasions throughout Southeast Asia. Like the grapefruit, the pomelo has the potential for drug interactions.
Citrus unshiu is a semi-seedless and easy-peeling citrus species, also known as miyagawa mandarin,unshu mikan, cold hardy mandarin, satsuma mandarin, satsuma orange, naartjie, and tangerine. Citrus unshiu was named after Unshu (Wenzhou), a famous production area of mandarin oranges in China, in the late Edo period of Japan. It is said to have originated in either Japan or China, and because of its name, it is often described as originating in China; however, due to multiple genetic studies conducted in the 2010s, the theory that the maternal species of Citrus unshiu was Kishu and the paternal species was Kunenbo and that it was created in the Satsuma province in Japan became more credible. During the Edo period, Kishu was the most popular because there was a popular superstition that eating Citrus unshiu (Satsuma) without seeds made people more prone to infertility. Citrus unshiu became popular in Japan after the modernization started in the Meiji period. It was introduced to the West from the Satsuma region of Japan in 1878.
The limequat is a citrofortunella hybrid that is the result of a cross between the Key lime and the kumquat, hybridized by Walter Tennyson Swingle in 1909.
The Key lime is a citrus hybrid native to tropical Southeast Asia. It has a spherical fruit, 25–50 mm (1–2 in) in diameter. The Key lime is usually picked while it is still green, but it becomes yellow when ripe.
An orange is a fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae ; it primarily refers to Citrus × sinensis, which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the related Citrus × aurantium, referred to as bitter orange. The sweet orange reproduces asexually ; varieties of sweet orange arise through mutations.
The kishu mikan is a hybrid variety of mikan, or mandarin orange, found in Southern China and also grown in Japan. It is not closely related to the common sweet orange, but it is closely related to the mandarin orange.
Citrofortunella are a large group of commercial hybrids that cross the kumquat with other citrus. In the system of citrus taxonomy established by Swingle, kumquats were placed in a different genus, Fortunella, from Citrus, which included citron, mandarin orange, pomelo and papedas. The result of genetic crosses between kumquats and these other citrus would then be intergeneric hybrids, so a novel genus name was coined for them in 1975, by compounding the names of the contributing genera to form Citrofortunella. That the genus is of a hybrid nature is represented by a multiplication sign before the genus name, for example × Citrofortunella microcarpa. Recent phylogenetic work has shown kumquats to fall within Citrus rather than belonging to a distinct genus, meaning these would no longer be considered intergeneric hybrids, and use of Citrofortunella as a distinct genus name for these hybrids loses taxonomic validity. All would be placed instead within Citrus.
Clymenia is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Rutaceae with two species. The genus is often included in Citrus.
Citrus taxonomy refers to the botanical classification of the species, varieties, cultivars, and graft hybrids within the genus Citrus and related genera, found in cultivation and in the wild.
Citrus rootstock are plants used as rootstock for citrus plants. A rootstock plant must be compatible for scion grafting, and resistant to common threats, such as drought, frost, and common citrus diseases.
Procimequat is a triploid citrus hybrid or transgeneric hybrid, x Fortunella hindsii, in which the limequat that itself is a cross between lime and a round kumquat, was backcrossed with the primitive Hong Kong kumquat.
The Murcott is a tangor, or mandarin–sweet orange hybrid.
The Dancy tangerine is one of the oldest and formerly most popular American citrus varieties, but is now rarely sold.
Kobayashi mikan is a Citrus hybrid cultivated for its edible fruit.
