Citrus medica

The citron (Citrus medica) is a large fragrant citrus fruit with a thick rind. It is one of the original citrus fruits from which all other citrus types developed through natural hybrid speciation or artificial hybridization. Though citron cultivars take on a wide variety of physical forms, they are all closely related genetically. It is used widely in Asian cuisine, and also in traditional medicines, perfume, and for religious rituals and offerings. Hybrids of citrons with other citrus are commercially prominent, notably lemons and many limes. The fruit's English name 'citron' derives ultimately from Latin, citrus, which is also the origin of the genus name. A source of confusion is that citron in French and English are false friends, as the French word refers to the lemon. Indeed, into the 16th century, the English name citron included the lemon and perhaps the lime as well. In Italian it is known as cedro, the same name used also to indicate the coniferous tree cedar. In Persian languages, it is called turunj, as against naranj ('bitter orange'). Both names were borrowed into Arabic and introduced into Spain and Portugal after their occupation by Muslims in AD 711, whence it became the source of the name orange. In Syria it is called kabbad; in Japanese it is called bushukan (possibly referring only to the fingered varieties). In Hebrew, the citron is known as etrog (אתרוג‎). In Gujarati it is called bijora (બીજોરા). In Chinese, it is known as xiāngyuán (香橼). The citron is an old and original citrus species. There is molecular evidence that most cultivated citrus species arose by hybridization of a small number of ancestral types, including citron, pomelo, mandarin and to a lesser extent, papedas and kumquat. The citron is usually fertilized by self-pollination. This results in them displaying a high degree of genetic homozygosity, and it is the male parent of any citrus hybrid rather than a female one. The citron is thought to have been native to India, in valleys at the foothills of the eastern Himalayas. It is thought that by the 4th century BC, when Theophrastus mentions the 'Persian or Median apple', the citron was mostly cultivated in the Persian Gulf on its way to the Mediterranean basin, where it was cultivated during the later centuries in different areas as described by Erich Isaac. Many mention the role of Alexander the Great and his armies as they attacked Persia and what is today Pakistan, as being responsible for the spread of the citron westward, reaching the European countries such as Greece and Italy. Leviticus mentions the 'fruit of the beautiful ('hadar') tree' as being required for ritual use during the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:40). According to Rabbinical tradition, the 'fruit of the tree hadar' refers to the citron. The Egyptologist and archaeologist Victor Loret claimed to have identified it depicted on the walls of the botanical garden at the Karnak Temple, which dates back to the time of Thutmosis III, approximately 3,000 years ago.