Citrus paradisi
Macfayden
Grapefruit
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) James K. Wetterer, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Klaus Bohn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) James K. Wetterer, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
Probably a natural hybrid between sweet orange and pomelo. A medium sized evergreen tree up to 10-15 m high. They spread 5 m across. The stem is stout and crooked. The branches hang down giving a rounded crown. The thorns are small. The leaves are dark shiny green and sword shaped. They can be 18 cm long. The leaves are leathery and they have rounded teeth along the edge. The leaf stalk usually has a broad wing. The flowers are creamy white and large. The flowers occur either singly or in clusters (2-20) in the axils of leaves. The flowers are 4-5 cm across. The fruit are large, yellow and in clusters. Fruit can be 9-15 cm across. Fruit are very juicy with a sweet-sour pulp. The juice sacs are large but closely packed. There are many cultivated varieties.
Edible Uses
Like other citrus fruits, grapefruits are sour because of their citric acid content; grapefruit juice contains about half the citric acid content of lemon juice, and nearly 50% more than orange juice. In Costa Rica, especially in Atenas, grapefruit are often cooked with sugar to balance their sourness, rendering them as sweets; or they are stuffed with dulce de leche as a dessert. In Haiti, grapefruit is used primarily for its juice (French: jus de Chadèque), but also is used to make jam (French: confiture de Chadèque). Grapefruit varieties are differentiated by the flesh color of fruit they produce. Common varieties are yellow and pink pulp colors. Flavors range from highly acidic and somewhat sour to sweet and tart, resulting from composition of sugars (mainly sucrose), organic acids (mainly citric acid), and monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes providing aromas. Grapefruit mercaptan, a sulfur-containing terpene, is one of the aroma compounds influencing the taste and odor of grapefruit, compared with other citrus fruits.
Traditional Uses
The fruit is eaten as fresh fruit, or the juice is used in drinks. They are made into marmalade. The juice can be used for vinegar or wine. The peel is candied. The essential oil from the peel is used for flavouring drinks and desserts. The oil from the seed is bleached and refined into a culinary oil. Caution: Grapefruit can react dangerously with some medications, increasing the effect of the medicine.
Distribution
A subtropical plant. Plants grow from sea level up to 1,800 m altitude in the tropics. They are frost tender. Plants prefer well-drained soils and a protected sunny position. Plants are drought tender. They do best in humid climates. It suits hardiness zones 9-11.
Where It Grows
Africa, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Caucasus, Central Africa, Central America, China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, East Africa, Ecuador, Europe, Fiji, French Guiana, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guam, Guianas, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Kenya, Laos, Malawi, Malaysia, Marquesas, Mauritius, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Africa, North America, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Peru, Philippines, Samoa, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, UAE, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies*, Zimbabwe,
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from seed. The seed should be sown fresh. Often seedling trees breed true. Trees are best grown by layering or grafting. A spacing of 6-8 m is suitable.
Production
Seedling trees take 3-5 years to produce while grafted trees take 2-3 years. Fruiting tends to be seasonal from April to August in the Southern hemisphere. Fruit take 6-8 months to mature. A healthy tree can produce 100 fruit in a year. Fruit can be left on the tree for 3 months after they first ripen.
Other Information
Becoming popular around the world. Not widely grown in Papua New Guinea. It is a cultivated food plant.
Notes
There are 20 Citrus species. Several hybrids have been formed.
Nutrition
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 43.5 | 45 | 11 | 0.3 | — | 19 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Synonyms
Also Known As
Bombelmo, Chakotra, Dat-kywegaw, Kureip-purutu, Kuripa, Lawi hkaw, Lemu yamiku, Pu tao you, Shauk-hka, Shauk-waing, Taraja, Toronja
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