Citrus is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in this genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops like oranges, lemons, grapefruit, pomelo and limes.
Fun facts
It takes about 5-7 years for an orange tree to start bearing edible fruits.
All oranges contain carotene, which is responsible for its orange colour.
There are various types of citrus fruits which include: Lemon, Grapefruit, Lime, Mandarin, Orange, Clementine, Kumquat, Minneola, Tangelo, Tangerine, Satsuma, Ugli, Pummelo.
The most common orange varieties are Valencia orange, blood orange, and navel orange.
Many of the other citrus fruits earlier listed are actually hybrids or varieties of orange or grapefruits.
Citrus fruits grow naturally in tropical climates.
Many citrus fruits originate from Southeast Asia.
Lemons are believed to have originated from North India, while limes are from Malaysia.
In 2005, the largest producer of citrus crops was Nigeria.
Brazil is the largest exporter of orange juice.
Citrus fruits are rich in vitamins and nutrients especially calcium and vitamin C.
Citrus fruits are often linked to reducing the risk of heart disease and some forms of cancer.
Citrus help reduce the risk of birth diseases in babies when eaten during pregnancy.
Just fruits one orange contains about two-thirds of an adult’s daily recommended allowance of vitamin C.
Citrus fruits are powerful detoxifying agents.
Grapefruits got its name because it grows in clusters on a tree, like actual grapes do.
Grapefruit is healthy for the heart. It has no fat, saturated fat, cholesterol or sodium.
A single citrus plant can bear as many as 60,000 flowers, but only 1% of these flowers become a fruit.
Valencia oranges are the most widely planted worldwide.
Pumelos are the largest of all the citrus fruits.
After chocolate and vanilla, orange is the world’s favorite flavor.
Oranges are the largest citrus crops in the world.
