''Triphasia brassii'' is a rare species of ''
Triphasia
''Triphasia'' is a small genus of three species in the family Rutaceae, related to ''Citrus''. The genus is native to southeastern Asia and New Guinea.Germplasm Resources Information Network''Triphasia''Huxley, A, ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary ...
'' in the family
Rutaceae
The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rue[RUTACEAE](_blank)
in BoDD – Botanical Derm ...
, native to
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu
Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea).
It is a simplified version of ...
.
All known specimens are from one general area. Triphasias are very close relatives of citrus.
Description
It is a very spiny
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
(rarely a small
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
) growing to 2 m (6.5 ft) tall. The
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are glossy dark green, each leaflet 2–4 cm (3/4 to 1 1/2 in) long and 1.5–2 cm (3/4 to 1 in) wide. The
flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s are white and strongly scented. The
kumquat
Kumquats (; zh, 金桔), or cumquats in Australian English, are a group of small fruit-bearing trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae. Their taxonomy is disputed. They were previously classified as forming the now-historical genus ''For ...
-sized
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 particu ...
is a red, edible
hesperidium
A hesperidium (plural hesperidia) is a modified berry with a tough, leathery rind.
Etymology
Carl Linnaeus gave the name Hesperideæ to an order containing the genus ''Citrus'', in allusion to the golden apples of the Hesperides.
Development
...
resembling a small ''
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 ...
'' fruit. The fruit is larger than the somewhat better known
limeberry. The fruit flesh is pulpy, with a flavor reminiscent of a slightly sweet lime.
[Huxley, A, ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening'' 3: 697. Macmillan .][Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk]
''Triphasia trifolia''
/ref>[Plants for a Future]
''Triphasia trifolia''
/ref>
Cultivation and uses
Like its close relative the ''limeberry'', ''T. brassii'' may have some unexplored potential as a fruit crop. Thus far, however, this potential has been limited due to the absence of domesticated variants, the lack of close scientific study, and the extreme rarity of the plant.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q16993232
Berries
Aurantioideae
Tropical fruit
id:Kingkit