20 [ CITRUS FRUITS 



(Citrus Aurantium Lin.) is probably due to Arabian 

 travellers in the tenth century, while certain improved 

 varieties of the common orange, such as the Portugal 

 Orange, was probably introduced by enterprising 

 Portuguese travellers returning home from India. The 

 mandarin-orange (Citrus delicwsa, Ten.) is native of 

 Southern China, and the Shaddock (Citriis decumana, 

 Murr.) is native of India, and so also are the Lime 

 (Citrus acida, Desf.) and the Bergamot (Citrus Bergamia 

 Risso). The Lemon (Citrus Limonum, Risso) and the 

 Citron (Citrus Medica, Lin.) are said to be natives of 

 Persia and their introduction in the Mediterranean region 

 has probably preceded that of the orange. 



From, a botanical point of view the distinctive 

 characters of the species above mentioned are quite 

 unimportant, and their specific value is often denied. 

 The confusion is still further increased by the existence 

 of numerous hybrids, natural and artificial, so that it is 

 now generally understood that the various species or 

 rather sub-species, have originated from a common stock, 

 probably the wild citron of Persia and northern India 

 (Citrus vulgaris, Lam.) The most interesting of these 

 hybrids, is the so-called "Bizzarria," a hybrid between 

 the orange and the lemon, often producing on the same 

 branch and on the same twig, perfect oranges and perfect 

 lemons, but generally bearing lemons perfect in shape 

 and size, with a chrome-yellow rind, and a very acid pulp 

 of a reddish hue, like that of an orange, or lemons 

 with an orange-coloured rind and an orange-like, or 

 even a lemon-like pulp. This classical hybrid was 

 raised in Florence. Many other hybrids, chiefly of 

 botanical interest, have been raised in recent years, 

 among which the orange-citron which is a diminutive 

 citron in all its parts, but the small round fruit has a deep 

 orange rind, and a pulp of the same colour ; and the 

 lemon-shaddock raised at San Antonio Gardens, Malta, 

 in 1900, as a chance seedling, in which the habit of the 



