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Papeda (citrus)

life science Maturity 5-7 Next article →

Papeda is a name for many citrus plants.

Ichangfruit
Ichangfruit

These plants grow in warm parts of Asia. They are hardy and grow very slowly. Most of the fruit is hard to eat. It often tastes bitter and unpalatable. Because of this, people do not grow them for food much.

Genetic diagram of citrus
Genetic diagram of citrus

Instead, people use them for other special jobs. Some plants like the ichang papeda are used for landscaping. Other types are used for rootstocking. This helps new plants grow strong. They also provide a genome source. A genome is the set of instructions for a plant. This helps breeders make citrus that can fight disease. It also helps them make citrus that can stay warm in the cold.

Many of these plants work together to make new kinds. This is called hybridization. A hybrid is a plant made from two different parents. Scientists believe the citron and pomelo are also ancestors. They think the mandarin and papeda are ancestors too. These old plants helped make most hybrid citrus species. For example, the Key lime is a hybrid. It comes from a papeda called micrantha and a citron. This Key lime then helped make many types of limes.

Ichangfruit
Ichangfruit

Some people even use the leaves or skin. They use them as a flavoring in Asian cuisine.

Scientists have worked to group these plants for a long time. A man named Walter Tennyson Swingle once grouped them. He put them into a group called the subgenus Papeda. This group included the yuzu and the kaffir lime. It also included the kabosu and the sudachi. Recent genetic analysis has changed how we see them. This study looks at the DNA of the plants. It shows the papedas are on different branches of the tree. This means Swingle's group was polyphyletic. That means the plants are not all from one single branch. However, people still use the name papeda today.

There are four main species recognized right now. Kew and the Missouri Botanical Garden list them. One is Citrus cavaleriei, the Ichang papeda. Another is Citrus halimii, the mountain citron. The third is Citrus latipes, the khasi papeda. The last is Citrus hystrix, the kaffir lime.

Genetic diagram of citrus
Genetic diagram of citrus

There are also many subspecies. One is the small-flowered papeda called biasong. Another is the small-fruited papeda called samuyao. There is also the Celebes papeda. The Melanesian papeda is another variety. Some plants like the winged lime are still being studied.

We can see how these plants mix by looking at their names. Some hybrids have very specific names. The yuzu is a mix of ichang papeda and mandarin. The sudachi is also a mix of those two. The Ichang lemon comes from ichang papeda and pomelo. There is also a fruit called hyuganatsu. This is a mix of yuzu and pomelo.

Genetic diagram of citrus
Genetic diagram of citrus

These plants are like the building blocks of citrus. They connect old wild plants to the fruits we know. By studying them, we learn how all citrus grew. It is a big, living puzzle of nature.

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File:Ichangfruit.jpg
Ichangfruit.jpg
File:Genetic diagram of citrus.gif
Genetic diagram of citrus.gif
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