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Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.

Family Name:	Rutaceae
Synonyms:	Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck
Common Name:	Pomelo, Limau Bali, Limau Besar, Shaddock, Pummelo, Limau Betawi, 柚子

Full Sun

Moderate Water

Butterfly Host Plant

Fruit or Vegetable

Fragrant Plant

Ornamental Flowers

Tree

Plant Division	Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Dicotyledon)
Plant Growth Form	Tree
Lifespan (in Singapore)	Perennial

Local Conservation Status

Non-native (Horticultural / Cultivated Only)

Growth Form	A tree, it can grow up to 5 to 15m in height with low, irregular branches. Long spines, up to 5cm long are found on the branches of plants propagated via seeds but are absent in those propagated through vegetative means. The young, tertiary branches are angular and often hairy.
Foliage	The leaves are obovate to elliptical.
Flowers	The yellow-white, bisexual flowers are fragrant and are borne singly or in clusters of 2 to 10 flowers in the leaf axils. The plant flowers 2 to 3 times a year in the tropics. The flowering season coincides with shoot growth flushes.

Fruit	The fruit is globular to a pear-shaped (pyriform). It has a thick but soft peel about 1 to 4cm thick, the outer surface of the peel is greenish-yellow to yellow and is dotted with green glands. The peel is easily separated from the segements, consisting of pale yellow or pink pulp-vesicles filled with sweet juice. The seeds are few and ridged.
Cultivation	It is ideally grown in the lowland tropics, at altitudes below 400m, in temperatures of 25 to 30°C under full sun. It can tolerate a wide range of soils but is ideally grown in deep, medium-textured, fertile soils.
Ethnobotanical Uses	Edible Plant Parts : Edible Fruits Food (Fruit or Vegetable): The fruit is usually eaten fresh or used in fruit salads. The white inner part of the peel may be candied after the outer peel has been removed. It is usually eaten in Asia during festivals such as Mid-Autumn Festival were it is eaten as the shape of the fruits and its time of harvest makes it associated with the moon. Others: The aromatic flowers are used to make perfume.

Desirable Plant Features	Ornamental Flowers, Fragrant (Flowers)
Landscape Uses	Parks & Gardens, Small Gardens
Thematic Landscaping	Economic Garden

Usage Hazard - Cons

Spines/Thorns - Stem/Branch

Fauna Pollination Dispersal Associated Fauna	Butterfly Host Plant (Associated with: Papilio memnon agenor (Linnaeus, 1758))

Rootzone Tolerance	Fertile Loamy Soils
Propagation Method	Seed, Air-Layering

Foliage Retention	Evergreen
Mature Foliage Colour(s)	Green
Leaf Area Index (LAI) for Green Plot Ratio	3.0 (Tree - Intermediate Canopy)

Flower Location

Axillary

Fruit Type

Images

Master ID	1516
Species ID	2809
Flora Disclaimer	The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.