Banpeiyu ( ja, 晩白柚) is a

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

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 ...

which produces extremely large fruits. A banpeiyu fruit became the world's heaviest pomelo when it was presented by Seiji Sonoda from

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 ...

for the

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

at the Banpeiyu Competition in

Yatsushiro, Kumamoto is a city located in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. Geography Located at the geographic center of Kyushu, Yatsushiro City is situated on the aptly named Yatsushiro Sea in between Kumamoto and Ashikita City. Climate Yatsushiro has a humid su ...

, Japan on December 25, 2014. This specimen weighed 4.8597 kg (10 lb 11.3 oz) with a circumference of 83.5 cm (32.8 in). The fruit of the banpeiyu is very popular in Japan for eating fresh, due to its blend of mild acidity and pleasant sweetness. It is also used in the production of fruit jelly.

Origin and names

Banpeiyu is mostly known today as a

Japanese citrus A number of citrus fruits are grown in or strongly associated with Japan. Many of these fruits are of Chinese origin, but have been modified or specially bred for cultivation in Japan. Japanese taxonomy Japan usually follows the botanical names ...

and is ranked as the most popular pomelo cultivar in Japan, producing high quality fruits in the hottest regions of the country. Nevertheless, it is assumed to be of unknown, possibly Malayan origin, and arrived in Japan via Taiwan where it was introduced in 1920, and is sometimes referred to as a Taiwan pomelo. It also has many other names, which are similar in pronunciation to ''pay you''.Banpeiyu
in

Citrus ID ''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 native to ...

Banpeiyu
at the

Citrus Variety Collection The UCR Citrus Variety Collection (CVC) is one of the most important collections of citrus diversity in the world. It is used for research, plant breeding, and educational extension activities on the UC Riverside campus in Riverside, California. ...

website

Description

The tree is large and of vigorous growth. New buds are hairy, as are the underside of the leaves. The fruit is very large and nearly spherical, with a thick pith which is pale yellow and smooth.

Juice vesicles The juice vesicles, also known as citrus kernels, (in aggregate, citrus pulp) of a citrus fruit are the membranous content of the fruit's endocarp. All fruits from the Citranae subtribe, subfamily Aurantioideae, and family Rutaceae have juice ves ...

are likewise pale yellow, firm but tender and juicy, with an excellent balanced flavour between sweet and tart, separated into 15–18 segments with thin but tough walls. The fruit is harvested during medium to late season and keeps fresh for several months.

In Japanese culture

In Japan, whole banpeiyu and other ''

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 ...

'' fruits are placed in bathtubs for aroma and used as a remedy for colds.Slow food
There is a

bathhouse Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gender, religious affiliation, personal membership, and other cr ...

, Japan, that is named "Banpeiyu" after the fruit.

References

External links

Flickr
Large banpeiyu citrus fruit compared with hen's egg and mandarin orange.
''Japan Times''

"Bigger than the Biggest Grapefruit You’ve Ever Seen"
at ''Jeffrey Friedl's Blog''
"Inhibitory effects of citrus fruits on cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) activity in humans"

"Production of Haploid Plant of 'Banpeiyu' Pummelo by Pollination with Soft X-Ray-Irradiated Pollen"

"Morphological characteristics of fruit in a haploid pummelo"

"Pathogenic Interactions Between ''Xanthomonas axonopodis'' pv. ''citri'' and Cultivars of Pummelo (''Citrus grandis'')"
{{citrus Citrus Japanese culture Fruits originating in East Asia