The Orange Family. 165 



whorl, and constituting a perfect little inner fruit of the 

 same form, an orange within an orange, or a lemon within 

 a lemon, reminding one of a famous comparison in 

 Aretaeus, only that here there is nothing on the exterior 

 of the fruit to indicate the curious state of things within. 

 Yet another singular occurrence, specially observable in 

 the citron, is spontaneous separation and protrusion of 

 the carpels, so that they look almost as when pulled 

 asunder for eating. Oranges in this odd condition are 

 said to be "horned." Extraordinary specimens of "finger- 

 citrons," with twelve to fifteen projecting carpels, each 

 seven or eight inches long, may be seen in the Museum 

 of the Edinburgh Botanic Garden. It may be added 

 that the little trees constituting the genus Citrus are 

 always glabrous in every part, and usually, in the wild 

 and seedling state, spinous, the long green spines pro- 

 ceeding from the leaf-axils. The lease of life is not 

 known, but there can be no doubt that, at all events 

 in the case of the orange, it extends, in individuals 

 favourably circumstanced, to centuries. The origin of 

 the name is still a puzzle to etymologists. By some it 

 has been referred to the Hebrew qetoreth, "incense," 

 or "perfume."* Most probably, it is referable to 

 kedros, the cedar, the rind of the citron having been 

 anciently held in great esteem as a preservative against 

 insects, which the odour of cedar-wood was also sup- 

 posed to drive away. " Citrus," the Latin word, occurs 



* As in Prov. xxvii. 9 : " Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart : 

 so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel." 



