41 



the people of the United States. They are quite distinct from the 

 true oranges, citrons, and other groups of the orange family. 



The typical fruits of Citrus dcciimana are those known in India 

 as pumelows (a contraction of poinnm melo, the melon apple) called 

 by the French Pompelmouse or Pamplemouse, and by the Spanish 

 and Dutch Pompelmoos. As these fruits were first introduced to 

 the West Indies by Captain Shaddock, in that part of the world 

 they have always borne his name. Pumelows and shaddocks are 

 only the old and new world names for the same fruit. Some- 

 times it is stated that the largest fruits are called shaddocks and 

 the next in size pumelows. There is no authority for this distinc- 

 tion. In this place, I shall quote pumelows and shaddocks indif- 

 ferently as convenient popular names for all the largest fruits of 

 the typical Citrus dccumana. A preference may unconsciously be 

 given to the use of the word shaddock, but only because it is the 

 most familiar name in the West Indies. As regards the varieties 

 of these fruits existing in different parts of the world, they are for 

 the most part distinguished by the locality where they are grown 

 rather than by any character they may possess. For instance, in 

 India the best pumelow, according to Bonavia, is the thin-skinned, 

 red pumelow of Bombay. This is a perfectly globose fruit, very 

 juicy, and whh the pulp of a rosy-red colour. The botanical 

 characters of Citrus dccumana are perhaps more marked than in any 

 other species. The tree is larger, and both the young shoots and 

 under side of the leaves are covered more or less with soft down. 

 No other species of citrus has the latter characteristic. The tree 

 may be as high as 20 feet, with a flat crown and many spreading 

 branches. Usually there are no spines. The leaves are distinctly 

 rounded at both ends, with a notch at the apex ; the edges are 

 uneven or wavy, owing to the presence of a number of small de- 

 pressions ; the stalk or petiole is furnished with two broad wings, 

 also wavy, and bordered with fine hairs. The flowers are somewhat 

 like those of the orange, but larger, and are both white and fra- 

 grant ; they are usually in clusters of three to nine. The fruit is 

 spherical or pear-shaped, very large, sometimes even as large as a 

 man's head, and very heavy. The juice is always slightly acid, 

 while the rind in the common sorts is remarkably thick, with a 

 bitter inner membrane. The vesicles containing the juice are 

 very prominent, and arranged transversely ; in the orange they 

 are hardly discernible. 



Pumelows or shaddocks differ from other citrus fruits in size ; 

 they are invariably larger than the largest orange and, in addi- 

 tion, are compact and very heavy. In colour, they are pale-yellow, 

 almost like lemons, but they differ from the lemon in having 

 usually a smoother skin. The flesh is pale-yellow or greenish- 

 white ; in some sorts there is a tendency to pink or crimson, as in 

 the so-called 'blood-oranges.' The pink-fleshed shaddocks, if 

 otherwise acceptable, are more esteemed than the white-fleshed. 

 They are said to be sweeter and more juicy, and have only in a 

 slight and palatable degree the peculiar flavour of the ordinary 



