Kanpei, also known as Ehime queen splash, is a ''

Citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

'' cultivar that originated in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Genetics

Kanpei was created by crossing the

dekopon is a seedless and sweet variety of satsuma orange. It is a hybrid between Kiyomi and ponkan (Nakano no.3), developed in Japan in 1972. Originally a brand name, "Dekopon" has become a genericized trademark and it is used to refer to all brands ...

and nishinokaori varieties in 1991, although it was not officially introduced until August 2007.

Description

The tree is vigorous and grows upright until the onset of fruit. The thorns are initially large and robust but become smaller with age, and fruit-bearing branches are thornless. The fruit ripens from January to March and weighs on average 0.5 pounds (250 grams) and is oblate in shape. The rind is orange in color and is mostly smooth but slightly bumpy; the flesh is orange to red-orange in color. It peels easily and puffing is rare. It is typically a seedless fruit, although when pollinated by surrounding cultivars, may contain a few seeds. It is a firm fruit and is said to have a sweet, rich flavor. The sugar content rating is at least 13

brix Degrees Brix (symbol °Bx) is a measure of the dissolved solids in a liquid, and is commonly used to measure dissolved sugar content of an aqueous solution. One degree Brix is 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of solution and represents the strength ...

and the

citric acid Citric acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula HOC(CO2H)(CH2CO2H)2. It is a colorless weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, which occurs in t ...

content is 1%. The fruit cracks easily in summer and autumn.

Uses

It is sold and cultivated in

, especially in

Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

, and is most commonly eaten raw. It is sometimes used in desserts.

References

{{Citrus Citrus Citrus hybrids Oranges (fruit) Japanese fruit Fruits originating in East Asia Fruit trees Edible fruits

Genetics

Description

Uses

See also

References