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Pomelo
The pomelo (/ˈpɒmɪloʊ, ˈpʌm-/ POM-il-oh, PUM-; or pummelo, Citrus maxima), also known as a shaddock, is the largest citrus fruit. It is an ancestor of several cultivated citrus species, including the bitter orange and the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fruit, native to Southeast Asia. Similar in taste to a sweet grapefruit, the pomelo is commonly eaten and used for festive occasions throughout Southeast and East Asia. As with the grapefruit, phytochemicals in the pomelo have the potential for drug interactions.
The pomelo tree can be 5–15 meters (16–50 feet) tall, with a trunk, often rather crooked, that is 10–30 centimeters (4–12 inches) thick, and low-hanging, irregular branches. The petioles (leaf stalks) are distinctly winged. The leaves are alternate, ovate or elliptic in shape, and 5–20 cm (2–8 in) long; they are leathery and dull green above, hairy beneath. The flowers – single or in clusters – are fragrant and yellow-white in color.
The fruit is large, 10–30 cm (4–12 in) in diameter, round or somewhat pear-shaped. Its weight varies by cultivar from 0.26–1.95 kilograms (0.6–4.3 pounds). It has a thicker rind than a grapefruit, and is divided into 11 to 18 segments. The flesh is less acidic than that of the grapefruit.
The pomelo has at least sixty cultivars. The fruit generally contains a few, relatively large seeds, but some varieties have numerous seeds. The characteristics of pomelo vary widely across South Asia.
The pomelo is native to Southeast Asia and all of Malaysia. The tree may have been introduced to China around 100 BCE, and is now heavily cultivated in Southern China. Seeds of the tree were first brought to the Americas in the late 1600s.
The pomelo is significant botanically as one of the three major wild ancestors of several cultivated hybrid Citrus species, including the bitter orange and the grapefruit; and less directly also of the lemon, the sweet orange, and some types of mandarin. The bitter orange is a naturally occurring hybrid between the pomelo and the mandarin. The grapefruit is a hybrid between a pomelo and a sweet orange, which is why 63% of the grapefruit's genome comes from the pomelo. The bitter orange is a hybrid of wild type mandarin and pomelo; in turn, the lemon is a hybrid of bitter orange and citron, i.e. cultivated lemons have some pomelo ancestry. In addition, there has been repeated introgression of pomelo genes into both early cultivated hybrid mandarins and later mandarin varieties, these last also involving hybridization with the sweet orange. Pomelo genes are thus included in many types of cultivated Citrus.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the etymology of the word 'pomelo' is uncertain. It may be derived from Dutch pompelmoes. The Dutch name in turn has uncertain etymology, but is possibly derived from Dutch pompel 'swollen' or pompoen 'pumpkin', combined with limoes 'lemon, citrus fruit', influenced by Portuguese limões with the same meaning. An alternative possibility is that the Dutch name derives from Portuguese pomos limões 'citrus fruit'. The specific name maxima is the female form of the Latin for 'biggest'.
One theory for the alternative English name 'shaddock' is that it was adopted after the plant's introduction into Barbados by a 'Captain Shaddock' of the East India Company (apparently Philip Chaddock, who visited the island in the late 1640s). From there the name spread to Jamaica in 1696.
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Pomelo AI simulator
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Pomelo
The pomelo (/ˈpɒmɪloʊ, ˈpʌm-/ POM-il-oh, PUM-; or pummelo, Citrus maxima), also known as a shaddock, is the largest citrus fruit. It is an ancestor of several cultivated citrus species, including the bitter orange and the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fruit, native to Southeast Asia. Similar in taste to a sweet grapefruit, the pomelo is commonly eaten and used for festive occasions throughout Southeast and East Asia. As with the grapefruit, phytochemicals in the pomelo have the potential for drug interactions.
The pomelo tree can be 5–15 meters (16–50 feet) tall, with a trunk, often rather crooked, that is 10–30 centimeters (4–12 inches) thick, and low-hanging, irregular branches. The petioles (leaf stalks) are distinctly winged. The leaves are alternate, ovate or elliptic in shape, and 5–20 cm (2–8 in) long; they are leathery and dull green above, hairy beneath. The flowers – single or in clusters – are fragrant and yellow-white in color.
The fruit is large, 10–30 cm (4–12 in) in diameter, round or somewhat pear-shaped. Its weight varies by cultivar from 0.26–1.95 kilograms (0.6–4.3 pounds). It has a thicker rind than a grapefruit, and is divided into 11 to 18 segments. The flesh is less acidic than that of the grapefruit.
The pomelo has at least sixty cultivars. The fruit generally contains a few, relatively large seeds, but some varieties have numerous seeds. The characteristics of pomelo vary widely across South Asia.
The pomelo is native to Southeast Asia and all of Malaysia. The tree may have been introduced to China around 100 BCE, and is now heavily cultivated in Southern China. Seeds of the tree were first brought to the Americas in the late 1600s.
The pomelo is significant botanically as one of the three major wild ancestors of several cultivated hybrid Citrus species, including the bitter orange and the grapefruit; and less directly also of the lemon, the sweet orange, and some types of mandarin. The bitter orange is a naturally occurring hybrid between the pomelo and the mandarin. The grapefruit is a hybrid between a pomelo and a sweet orange, which is why 63% of the grapefruit's genome comes from the pomelo. The bitter orange is a hybrid of wild type mandarin and pomelo; in turn, the lemon is a hybrid of bitter orange and citron, i.e. cultivated lemons have some pomelo ancestry. In addition, there has been repeated introgression of pomelo genes into both early cultivated hybrid mandarins and later mandarin varieties, these last also involving hybridization with the sweet orange. Pomelo genes are thus included in many types of cultivated Citrus.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the etymology of the word 'pomelo' is uncertain. It may be derived from Dutch pompelmoes. The Dutch name in turn has uncertain etymology, but is possibly derived from Dutch pompel 'swollen' or pompoen 'pumpkin', combined with limoes 'lemon, citrus fruit', influenced by Portuguese limões with the same meaning. An alternative possibility is that the Dutch name derives from Portuguese pomos limões 'citrus fruit'. The specific name maxima is the female form of the Latin for 'biggest'.
One theory for the alternative English name 'shaddock' is that it was adopted after the plant's introduction into Barbados by a 'Captain Shaddock' of the East India Company (apparently Philip Chaddock, who visited the island in the late 1640s). From there the name spread to Jamaica in 1696.