582 



Citrus Fruits 



with age. The leaves, which usually have wingless petioles, are dark green and 

 shining, eUiptic-oval, often bluntish at each end, wavy or shghtly toothed on the 

 margin. The flowers are in axillary clusters of 3 to 10, the calyx 4- or 5-toothed; 

 corolla white throughout; the 4 or 5 petals are oblong and rather fleshy; stamens 

 about 25, small, their filaments united into several groups; ovary short, about 10- 

 celled. The fruit is usually short-oval, about 4 cm in diameter, the rind light 

 yellow, rather thin, often roughened; flesh greenish, very juicy and acid. 



The Lime is a native of India and southeastern Asia, but has been cultivated 

 in tropical countries for a long period, the fruit being of much importance as the 

 basis of cooling acidulous drinks. 



5. CITRON — Citrus medica Linnaeus 



The Citron is sparingly cultivated and occasionally spontaneous in peninsular 

 Florida. It is usually a shrub, rarely becoming a small tree 4 meters tall. 



The trunk is short; the branches are thick, irregular, rather straggling and very 



thorny, the bark thin and Hght 

 gray. The twigs are stiff, smooth 

 and purplish at first. The leaves 

 have wingless petioles, are oval-ob- 

 long, I to 1.5 dm. long, sharp- 

 pointed, toothed or usually entire, 

 dark dull green above, paler be- 

 neath. The flowers are rather 

 large in compact axillary clusters 

 of 3 to 10, often imperfect; calyx 

 cup-shaped; corolla tinged with 

 purple outside, white within, the 

 petals oblong, their apex incurved; 

 stamens about 40, included; ovary 

 9-to i2-celled. The fruit is oblong, 

 1.5 to 2 dm. long, blunt at the 

 apex; lind very thick, roughened 

 and light yellow externally, white 



Fig. 538. — Citron. 



and fleshy inside, the pulp very juicy, acid and bitterish or sweetish; seeds oval, 

 nearly white and smooth. 



The Citron, which is the most tender of the species grown in America, is 

 probably a native of eastern China and has been in cultivation for a very long time. 

 It is used almost exclusively as candied rind, very little of which is produced 

 in either Florida or California; most of our supply is secured, by importation 

 from Italy, of the rind preserved in salt solution, from which it is freed and then 

 candied in this coimtry. 



