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Citrus
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grapefruit
grapefruit Pink-fleshed grapefruits, or pomelos (Citrus ×paradisi).

Citrus

plant genus
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lemon
lemonLemons hanging from a tree.

Citrus, genus of plants belonging to the rue family (Rutaceae), and yielding pulpy fruits covered with fairly thick skins. Economically important plants in this group include the lemon (C. ×limon), lime (C. ×aurantiifolia), sweet orange (C. ×sinensis), sour orange (C. ×aurantium), tangerine (C. reticulata), grapefruit (C. ×paradisi), citron (C. medica), and shaddock (C. maxima). Yuzu is the most cold-resistant of all citrus fruits, capable of growing at high altitudes at temperatures just above freezing, and most commonly associated with Japan and Japanese cuisine.

mandarin orange
mandarin orangeThe blossom and fruit of the orange (Citrus).

Citrus plants are typically evergreen trees or shrubs with glossy oval-shaped leaves; many species have thorns. The flowers are usually white with five petals and are very fragrant. The fruits are a type of modified berry known as a hesperidium, and the flesh is divided into segments packed with tiny juice-filled vesicles. The peel, or rind, of the fruits is leathery and studded with oil glands.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.