Rangpur, ''Citrus'' × ''limonia'' or ''Citrus reticulata'' × ''medica'', sometimes called the rangpur lime, mandarin lime or lemandarin, is a hybrid between the
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 (fruit), orange, it is usually eaten plain or in fruit salads. Tangerines are a group of ...
and the
citron
The citron (''Citrus medica''), historically cedrate, is a large fragrant citrus fruit with a thick rind. It is said to resemble a 'huge, rough lemon'. It is one of the original citrus fruits from which all other citrus types developed throu ...
. It is a
citrus
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is nati ...
fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...
with a very
acidic taste and an
orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
* Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum ...
peel and flesh.
Common names
Common names for this fruit include rangpur, the name of a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...
now in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...
. Rangpur is also known in the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...
as ''
Sylhet
Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climat ...
lime'' (after another region also now in Bangladesh), ''surkh nimboo'', and ''sharbati''.
It is known as a ''canton-lemon'' in South China, a ''hime-lemon'' in Japan, as ''limão-capeta'', ''limão-cravo'', ''limão-rosa'' or ''limão-galego'' in Brazil and Portugal (namely in the Azores), and ''mandarin-lime'' in the United States, and similarly ''limón-mandarina'' (lemon tangerine) in Costa Rica because of its shape and the way its skin is peeled.
History
''Citrus'' × ''limonia'' was introduced into Florida in the late nineteenth century by Reasoner Brothers of Oneco, who obtained their seeds from northwestern India.
[U.C. Riverside Citrus Profile: Rangpur - ''Citrus × limonia''](_blank)
/ref> Though often described as a lemon hybrid, genomic analysis has shown it to be an F1 hybrid
An F1 hybrid (also known as filial 1 hybrid) is the first filial generation of offspring of distinctly different parental types. F1 hybrids are used in genetics, and in selective breeding, where the term F1 crossbreed may be used. The term is somet ...
of a female citron (''Citrus medica'') and a male mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata'').[ and Supplement]
Use
Rangpurs are highly acidic and can be used as a substitute for limes
Limes may refer to:
* the plural form of lime (disambiguation)
* the Latin word for ''limit'' which refers to:
** Limes (Roman Empire)
(Latin, singular; plural: ) is a modern term used primarily for the Germanic border defence or delimitin ...
. However the name lime in connection with this fruit is misleading, because there are very few similarities between the rangpur and other fruits called limes.
In 2006, Diageo introduced a rangpur-flavored version of Tanqueray gin
Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink that derives its flavour from juniper berries (''Juniperus communis'').
Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe, particularly in southern Italy, Flanders and the Ne ...
, known simply as Tanqueray Rangpur.
Cultivation
''Citrus'' × ''limonia'' is cultivated as an ornamental tree
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...
for planting in gardens and a container plant on patio
A patio (, from es, patio ; "courtyard", "forecourt", "yard", "little garden") is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a structure and is typically paved. In Australia the term is expanded to include roofed str ...
s and terraces in the United States. Outside the U.S. it is used principally as a citrus rootstock, except Costa Rica where it is also grown commercially and is preferred over lime and lemon, used in any preparation that requires a lemon, and grows wild on cow pastures and near human settlements.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rangpur (Fruit)
Citrus hybrids
Flora of India (region)
Garden plants of Asia
Ornamental trees
Lemons