The Italian name “agrumi”for citrus is derived from the latin word “acris” (acidulous). This is the common term for the species and their fruits belonging to the three genera of the family Rutaceae: Citrus, Fortunella and Poncirus.
Lesser known genera are:Microcitrus and Eremocitrus, originating from Australasia.
The genus Citrus includes most of the cultivated species such as bitter and sweet oranges, lemons, grapefruits, citrons and bergamots. Fortunella includes kumquat.
Nowadays citrus are widespread and grown on every continent.
Geographically the majority of the species of the genus came from S.E. Asia, where many grow wild. Fortunella and Poncirus also originated from the East.
Citrus have been cultivated since ancient times; the oldest Indian and Chinese literary records date from around 2,400 BC. Their introduction to the Mediterranean would have been later.
Grapefruit (Citrus grandis) and the citron (Citrus medica) are the two that have been grown in the Mediterranean the longest. They were used by the Jews for The Feast of the Tabernacles and spread by the Greeks in the 3rd and 2nd century BC.
The lemon was already cultivated in Italy in the 1st century BC (as seen in the frescoes at Pompeii). The bitter orange was bought to Italy by the Crusaders from Palestine where it had been introduced by the Arabs. The sweet orange followed in the 15th century bought by the Genoese and Portuguese. The mandarin only appeared in Italy as late as the 19th century.
In ancient times citrus was considered a fertility symbol and adorned most gardens. The fruit was used both for pharmaceutical purposes and for making perfume.
The second half of the 19th century saw a great increase in the cultivation and development of citrus, and many hybrids were created from the species.
They differed in their climatic tolerance, and the size and period of fruiting.
Citrus are small trees or shrubs, sometimes spiney. They have entire, evergreen leaves except for Poncirus (trifoliate, deciduous leaves.)
The fruit is a sweet hesperideous berry with a scented coloured peel and many secretory glands that produce essential oils. Under the skin is a white pith (mesocarp) and then the segments rich in juice (endocarp).
In regions were the winters are mild they can be cultivated in the open; otherwise in pots that can be bought under shelter. They need protection from cold winds; though some species are resistant to the cold such as Poncirus. Different factor influence their threshold of resistance: the age of the plant, the timing and duration of the cold spell, the variety of the tree and the rootstock.
One can propagate citrus from cuttings, or by grafting or layers. It is important to propagate from a mother tree that is in good health. Here on the Ligurian Riviera the grafting rootstock is usually the bitter orange.
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