Citrus inodora F.M.Bailey

Species

Angiosperms > Sapindales > Rutaceae > Citrus

Characteristics

Tree to 4 m high with trunk to 5 cm diam.; spines 6–12 mm long, solitary or paired; twigs angled. Leaves: petiole 4–8 mm long, not winged, not articulated with lamina; lamina broadly ovate or lanceolate, 80–200 mm long, 40–100 mm wide, ± acute at base, distally subcrenulate, acute to subacuminate; veins very numerous, parallel. Flowers solitary or rarely in small fascicles, subsessile, apparently bisexual and scentless. Calyx with 5 minute teeth. Petals 5, linear-oblong,  c. 7 mm long, white. Stamens at least 30, of different lengths, free. Ovary 8-locular. Fruit ellipsoid, to 65 mm long and 30 mm diam., yellow, smooth; flesh sharply acid. Seeds pear-shaped in outline, planoconvex, 6–8 × 4–5 mm.
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A small tree. It grows 2-6 m tall and spreads 2-4 m wide. It has a bushy habit. The branches are thorny. There are two spines at the base of the leaf stalk. The leaves are 5-20 cm long by 4-10 cm wide. They are broadly oval and thick and leathery. They are dark green above and paler underneath. The leaves have shallow rounded teeth along the edge. The tip is blunt. The flowers are 1 cm across and white or pink. They grow in the axils of leaves. The flower does not have a smell. The fruit are oval and green. They are 6.5 cm long by 3 cm wide. They are yellow when mature.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support -
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 2.0 - 4.0
Mature height (meter) 3.0 - 4.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It grows in tropical and subtropical regions. It occurs naturally in northeast Queensland. It grows in lowland rainforest. It needs well drained soil and a sheltered position. Brisbane Botanical Gardens.
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Grows in rainforests, in Backhousia bancroftii forest, at 10–100 m altitude; much reduced in range as forests are cleared for sugar cane and banana plantations. 
Wet, lowland rainforest. An understorey plant in undisturbed well developed lowland rain forest; at elevations up to 120 metres.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) -

Usage

The fruit have an edible pulp which can be used for drinks or marmalade.
Uses -
Edible fruits
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from fresh seed. They can be grown from cuttings on a heat bed but rooting is slow and can take 6 months. They can be budded onto citrus rootstocks. Because the buds are small this takes some skill to be successful.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) 23 - 30
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Citrus inodora world distribution map, present in Australia

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:79392-3
WFO ID wfo-0000608072
COL ID 7V7Z2
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Pleurocitrus inodora Citrus inodora Citrus maideniana Microcitrus maideniana Microcitrus inodora