Citrus Encyclopedia

Complete Guide to 194 Citrus Species — from sweet oranges and lemons to exotic yuzu, kumquats, and Buddha's hand — with expert growing guides, USDA zones, care calendars, and culinary tips.

Sweet Oranges

The world's most widely grown citrus fruit, prized for fresh eating, juicing, and processing. Sweet oranges range from navels to Valencias, offering year-round harvests across tropical and subtropical regions.

Mandarins

Easy-peeling, sweet citrus fruits beloved for fresh eating. Mandarins include clementines, satsumas, and tangerines, known for their aromatic rind and juicy, seedless segments.

Blood Oranges

Distinctive citrus with deep crimson flesh coloured by anthocyanin pigments. Blood oranges develop their best colour in Mediterranean climates with cool nights and offer complex, berry-like flavour.

Sour Oranges

Bitter oranges valued for marmalade, essential oils, and as rootstock. The Seville orange is the most famous, providing the base for classic British marmalade and the liqueur Curaçao.

Lemons

Indispensable citrus for cooking, beverages, and cleaning. Lemons thrive in Mediterranean and subtropical climates, with Eureka and Lisbon being the dominant commercial cultivars.

Limes

Tropical and subtropical citrus prized for their sharp acidity. From Persian limes to Key limes and makrut, these fruits are essential in cuisines from Southeast Asia to Latin America.

Grapefruits

Large, tangy citrus fruits that emerged as a natural hybrid in Barbados. Ranging from white to ruby red, grapefruits are grown commercially in Florida, Texas, and the Mediterranean.

Pomelos

The largest of all citrus fruits and ancestor of the grapefruit. Pomelos are especially popular in Southeast Asian cuisines and celebrations, with thick rind and sweet, mild flesh.

Citrons

One of the original citrus species, cultivated for millennia. Citrons are valued primarily for their thick, aromatic rind used in candied peel, perfumery, and religious ceremonies.

Tangors

Natural and deliberate crosses between tangerines and oranges, combining the easy-peeling character of mandarins with the juice quality of sweet oranges.

Tangelos

Hybrids of tangerines with grapefruit or pomelo, producing large, juicy fruits with distinctive necks. Minneola and Orlando are the best-known cultivars.

Kumquats

Miniature citrus fruits eaten whole, rind and all. The sweet skin and tart flesh create a unique flavour experience. Kumquats are among the most cold-hardy citrus.

Hybrids

Intergeneric and interspecific crosses that combine traits of different citrus species, often bred for cold hardiness, unique flavours, or disease resistance.

Rootstocks

Citrus species and hybrids used primarily as rootstock for grafting commercial varieties. Selected for disease resistance, soil adaptation, and influence on scion vigour and fruit quality.

East Asian Citrus

Distinctive citrus species native to East and Southeast Asia, including yuzu, sudachi, and various papedas. Many are valued for their aromatic rind and juice in traditional cuisines.

Bulb Encyclopedia

484 flowering bulb species with expert planting guides and care calendars.

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300 rose species & cultivars with expert growing guides and care calendars.