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296 



This h an arborescent shrub^ the lowest of the genus, 

 seldom attaining, in an open situation, more than eight feet 

 in height. It divides near the root in an irregular manner; 

 the branches are long, subsimple, at first nearly erect, after- 

 wards, from the weight of the fruit, decumbent. Extremities 

 of the young branchlets compressed, smooth, with a faint 

 violet tinge. Spines horizontal. Leaves 6 inches long, and 

 2 broad; oblong, rounded at the apex, (very rarely acute,) 

 serrulato-crenate, glabrous, pellucido-punctate, with dots 

 excavated on the upper surface. Colour yellowish green. 

 Petiole one-third of an inch, naked, incrassated. Peduncles 

 very short, axillary, solitary, one-flowered. Calyx sub- 

 5-dQntate, with the teeth erect. Corolla 5-petaled- Petals 

 oblong, obtuse. Stamens about 40 or less, of unequal 

 lengths. Nectary surrounding the base of the style, 5-gonal, 

 green. Stigma bilobular. The fruit is externally yellow, 

 rough. The rind is divisible into 2 layers : that which is 

 external is formed of an infinite number of vesicles filled with 

 an essential oil; the other, which is internal, is thick, white, 

 composing the principal part of the bulk of the fruit. The 

 jmlp is enclosed in a diaphanous membrane, and arranged 

 into several compartments. These compartments are many- 

 seeded. 



This species has a great resemblance in its mode of growth 

 and other characters to the C- Limonum. It is distinguished 

 by the larger size of its leaves, and by these being of a more 

 oblong figure. They are, also, distinctly serrated ; and for 

 the most part rounded at the apex. In the present species, 

 also, the axillary spines spread out nearly horizontally, whilst 

 in the Lemon they are patent, forming with the stem an 

 angle of 45^. 



The Citron is a native of Media. It passed from thence 

 into many of the provinces of Persia, and in course of time 

 became known to the Greeks. About the same period also 

 it began to be cultivated in Judea. It has been conjectured 

 by many commentators, from the circumstance of Jews at the 

 present day carrying Citrons to the Feast of Tabernacles, that 

 it was the fruit '' Hadar'' snolcpn nf m th^ P.qd chanter, 40th 



