114 THE PLANT WORLD 



This island seems to be unusually well adapted for the cultivation of all 

 kinds of citrus fruits. Lemons and limes occur in abundance but are little 

 used by the natives — hundreds of tons of them go to waste each year. 

 Citrus medica, which yields the "citron" of commerce, grows with little 

 or no care, but sugar is dear and few people take the trouble to preserve 

 the rind. Fragrant bergamots grow spontaneously in the forest. They 

 would yield fine essential oil. Shaddocks of several varieties occur both 

 with pink and with yellow or white pulp, some of great size and with thick 

 rind like that of the citron. They are not, however, equal in flavor to 

 the varieties of grape-fruit, or pomelos, of our home markets, and are 

 seldom gathered by the natives. There is no reason Why pomelos of fine 

 quality should not be introduced into the island. Even mandarin oranges, 

 or "tangerines," have been successfully introduced, but there are only a 

 few trees bearing fruit. 



I have been trying to straighten out for my own satisfaction the 

 various Citrus fruits growing here, but it is not an easy matter. From a 

 botanical point of view the existing classification is far from satisfactory; 

 but this is true of most plants which have been cultivated as long as those 

 of this genus. Some authorities, for instance, regard the lemon, lime, 

 and citron as distinct species, since they reproduce true to seed, and do 

 not readily intercross when growing near one another ; others consider 

 them all as subspecies, or varieties, of Citrus medica L. The typical 

 Citrus medica, or true citron, has a very thick white rind between the 

 skin and the pulp. In this respect it is imitated b}^ the shaddocks or 

 pomelos of Guam, which are, however, of a very different shape and are 

 considered a distinct species iCitriis decuviana^ . The shaddocks, on the 

 other hand, differ so much among themselves that it it is hard to believe 

 that they are all of the same origin. Lemons and limes are frequently 

 confused by those who know them only in their preserved form or as 

 ingredients for " cocktails " or sherbets. They are very distinct. The 

 lemon has the shape of the citron, and all those of Guam have the 

 oval form and the nipple at the end, which characterize the best 

 varieties. The lime is smaller, of a globular form, and has no nipple at 

 the tip. Moreover, it has a flavor of its own, which is very distinct from 

 that of the lemon and citron. It seems probable to me the lemon and 

 citron are varieties of the same species, while the lime has a distinct 

 origin. Engler considers it as a form of Citrus hystrix. Whatever may 

 be its origin, I think the name Citrus acida would be very appropriate 

 for it. Botanists may investigate its origin and settle it to suit them- 

 selves. What is certain is that the acid-lime is a plant with well-defined 

 characteristics, and it differs as radically from the lemon and citron 

 as does the orange. It is frequently compared with Citrus limetta, the 

 sweet-lime, and sometimes with Citrus lumia, the sweet-lemon, but it is 



