''Citrus cavaleriei'', the Ichang papeda (Chinese: 宜昌橙), is a slow-growing species of papeda that has characteristic

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

-scented foliage and flowers. It is native to southwestern and west-central China and is likely named for the city of

Yichang Yichang (), alternatively romanized as Ichang, is a prefecture-level city located in western Hubei province, China. It is the third largest city in the province after the capital, Wuhan and the prefecture-level city Xiangyang, by urban populati ...

(宜昌), in China's

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...

province. The Ichang papeda's main claim to fame is its unusual hardiness. With the exception of ''

Poncirus trifoliata The trifoliate orange, ''Citrus trifoliata'' or ''Poncirus trifoliata'', is a member of the family Rutaceae. Whether the trifoliate oranges should be considered to belong to their own genus, ''Poncirus'', or be included in the genus ''Citrus'' is ...

'', it is the hardiest citrus plant, tolerating both moderate frost and damp conditions.

Description

Relatively rare in cultivation, the Ichang papeda is a large shrub or small tree, growing to , and produces a small,

mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

-like fruit. Leaves feature a broad petiole, and resemble the leaves of the

yuzu Yuzu (''Citrus junos'', from Japanese or ) is a citrus fruit and plant in the family Rutaceae of East Asian origin. Yuzu has been cultivated mainly in East Asia, though recently also in New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Italy, and France. I ...

and the

kaffir lime ''Citrus hystrix'', called the kaffir lime or makrut lime, (, ) is a citrus fruit native to tropical Southeast Asia. Its fruit and leaves are used in Southeast Asian cuisine, and its essential oil is used in perfumery. Its rind and crushed leav ...

in appearance. The fruit has a fragrant, but rugged rind, and may be oval, spherical, or flattened in shape, ripening to yellow or orange. It contains many large

monoembryonic Monoembryony is the emergence of one and only one seedling from a seed. A seed giving two or more seedlings is polyembryonic Polyembryony is the phenomenon of two or more embryos developing from a single fertilized egg. Due to the embryos resulting ...

seeds and a small quantity of bitter or sour juice; some fruits lack juice entirely and are instead filled with a mass of pith and seeds. The Ichang papeda is occasionally grown as an ornamental plant. Ichang papeda-later season2

Hybrids

The Ichang papeda has been hybridised with many other citrus varieties, notably to produce hybrids that are relatively cold-hardy. Many of these hybrids also have many culinary applications: *

Kabosu Kabosu (カボス or 臭橙; binomial name: ''Citrus sphaerocarpa'') is a citrus fruit of an evergreen broad-leaf tree in the family Rutaceae. It is popular in Japan, where its juice is used to improve the taste of many dishes, especially cooke ...

- An Ichang papeda x

Bitter orange Bitter orange, Seville orange, bigarade orange, or marmalade orange is the citrus tree ''Citrus'' × ''aurantium'' and its fruit. It is native to Southeast Asia and has been spread by humans to many parts of the world. It is probably a cross be ...

cross. *

Shangjuan The ''shangjuan'', or Ichang lemon (''Citrus cavaleriei × Pomelo, C. maxima''), is a cold-hardy citrus fruit and plant originating in East Asia. {{Taxonbar, from=Q7488556 Citrus hybrids Fruits originating in East Asia ...

(also known as the Ichang lemon) - A cross between an Ichang papeda and a

Pomelo The pomelo ( ), ''Citrus maxima'', is the largest citrus fruit from the family Rutaceae and the principal ancestor of the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid, citrus fruit, native to Southeast Asia. Similar in taste to a sweet grapefr ...

. *

Yuzu Yuzu (''Citrus junos'', from Japanese or ) is a citrus fruit and plant in the family Rutaceae of East Asian origin. Yuzu has been cultivated mainly in East Asia, though recently also in New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Italy, and France. I ...

- A naturally occurring hybrid between an Ichang papeda and a

Mandarin orange The mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''), also known as the mandarin or mandarine, is a small citrus tree fruit. Treated as a distinct species of orange, it is usually eaten plain or in fruit salads. Tangerines are a group of orange-colou ...

. **

Hyuganatsu Hyuganatsu (''Citrus tamurana'', Japanese: 日向夏) is a citrus fruit and plant grown in Japan. The name comes from Hyūga, the ancient name of Miyazaki Prefecture in Kyushu, where the citrus is said to have originated, while means summer. ...

- A Yuzu x

cross. *** Haruka - A Hyuganatsu x

Natsudaidai or is a yellowish orange citrus hybrid fruit, a group of cultivars of ''Citrus natsudaidai'', which were discovered in 1740 in the Yamaguchi prefecture of Japan. Names ''Amanatsu'' means "sweet summer" in Japanese. In Japan, the fruit is kn ...

cross. ** Jabara - Yuzu x

cross. **

Sudachi Sudachi (''Citrus sudachi''; Japanese: スダチ or 酢橘) is a small, round, green citrus fruit of Japanese origin that is a specialty of Tokushima Prefecture in Japan. It is a sour citrus, not eaten as fruit, but used as food flavoring in p ...

- A cross between a Yuzu and a Koji/

Tachibana orange The tachibana orange (''Citrus tachibana,'' or ''Citrus reticulata tachibana'') is a variety of mandarin orange, a citrus fruit. They grow wild in the forests of Japan and are referred to in the poetry of the early Japanese and Ryukyu Islands kin ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15395690 ichangensis Fruits originating in East Asia Plants described in 1913