Citron - Buddha's Hand - [Fingered Citron]
This mutation apparently originated in Northeastern India and is popular as a curiosity. It has no seeds and no or very little juiceless flesh. The rind is, as with other citrons, highly aromatic. In the West the fingers are used as peel would be, but also can be thinly sliced for salads and the like. The white pith is not bitter as it is in most citrus so can be included with the yellow zest. In Asia it is used to perfume rooms and personal items. Photo by Voyou Desoeuvre distributed under Creative Commons v2.0 license.

Citron - [Etrog (Hebrew)]
These fruits are fairly large and can grow up to 6 inches long, but the rind is very thick and what little flesh they may have is dry and full of seeds. Shape and skin texture varies greatly depending on where on the tree the fruit grew. The citron was known during Roman times, at first for medicinal purposes, to repel insects and as a perfume, but by the 2nd century CE was being used in cooking as well. The peel is candied for use in fruitcakes and other baked goods and is featured in the Hebrew holiday of Sukkot.   Photo by Yankelowitz contributed to the public domain.

Eureka & Lisbon Lemon - []
These are the standard commercial lemons grown in California, juicy with high acidity and few seeds. In the store the varieties are indistinguishable but on the tree the Eureka are at the tips of branches and the Lisbon farther in behind the leaves, thus better in marginal weather locations. The photo specimens were typically 2-5/8 inches in diameter and weighed 6-5/8 ounces.

Meyer Lemon - []
Popular in California back yards this cross between a lemon and a mandarin is less sour than Eureka and has a bit of tangerine flavor. It has an oval shape and a thin skin that's quite orange compared to other lemons. It is not marketed widely because its a bit soft and keeping properties are not as good as other lemons. The photo specimens were typically 2-1/2 inches in diameter and weighed 4-3/4 ounces.

Ponderosa Lemon - [Football Lemon]
The giant of the lemon world, it's actually a cross between a lemon and a citron. This small tree is grown mainly as an ornamental but the fruit has good lemon flavor and produces a lot of juice. The fruit is roughly spherical with a thick bumpy skin and can weigh up to 2 pounds.

Preserved Lemon - [Lemon Pickle]
An essential for Near Eastern and particularly North African cuisine, these lemons can be found packed in jars in markets serving a Near Eastern community. They are generally about the size of a key lime or a bit larger. The photo specimens, from Egypt, were typically 1-3/8 inches diameter and weighed 3/4 ounce. You can make these yourself using the larger American lemons. Details & Cooking.

Sweet Lemon - var. Pomona
Ready to squeeze lemonade! There are several varieties of sweet lemon used in the Mediterranean and India, but as far as I can tell the Pomona variety (originating in Pomona, California) is the one sold commercially here. The flesh has a touch of the flavor of Kaffir Lime and even the skin is edible, not bitter as with most lemons. The photo specimens were typically 2-1/2 inches in diameter and weighed 4-1/2 ounces.

Key Lime - [Mexican Lime, West Indian Lime, Kaghzi nimbu (India), Limum baladi (Egypt), doc (Morocco), Gallego lime (Brazil), Limon corriente (Latin America), C. aurantifolia]
Small and highly aromatic, these are what limes are in most of the world. The photo specimens were typically 1.4 inches in diameter and weighed 1 ounce.

Persian Lime - [Tahiti Lime, Bearss Lime, C. latifolia]
This large lime, probably a cross between a lime and a citron, is the primary lime grown in California. It found its way to the Mediterranean through Persia and to California through Tahiti. It's slightly less aromatic than the key lime but tests with key lime pies found little difference except the large Persians were a lot less work. The photo samples were typically 2-1/2 inches in diameter and weighed 5-3/4 ounces.

Kaffir Lime - [makrut (Thai), Krauch Soeuch (Cambodia), Limau Purut (Malay), Citrus hystrix]

Not really a lime, this fruit is native to Southeast Asia and used particularly in Thai Cuisine. The odd double leaves are most used, often in soups, but the rind of the fruit is used in Thai curry pastes. The rind is also used to flavor rum in Réunion and Madagascar. Many references say the juice is inedible but I do not find that the case, though there isn't a lot of juice in a kaffir lime.

The shrub makes a very nice and useful decorative which can be grown in a container, so many nurseries stock them. When fully ripe, the fruit turns just a touch yellowish and falls from the tree but it is generally used before that stage. Details and Cooking

Finger Lime - [, C. australasica]

This shrub grows wild in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia where there is now some cultivation in Australia. It is also now being grown on a small scale in California.because of demand from the fancy chef set.

It is unique in several ways, other than its shape. The juice vesicles separate completely into separate beads, called "citrus caviar", which is becoming popular as a garnish on expensive servings. These vesicules burst with a spurt of juice very similar to regular lime juice. Finger limes also come in a wide range of colors: green, yellow, orange, red, purple, pink, black and brown.   Photo by Zaareo distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Dried Limes - [Black Lime, Amani, Omani (Persia), Loomi, Lumi (Arab)]

An important item in the cuisines of Persia (Iran) and countries that have been under Persian influence. Limes are boiled in salt water, then sun dried. Used in lentil, rice or meat dishes they may be crushed or may simply be pierced and added whole to slow simmering dishes to provide tartness and a citrus fragrance. The hard outer shell contains mainly a dry black powder.

Bitter Orange [Sour Orange, Seville Orange, Bigarade, Citrus aurantium]
A native of Southeast Asia, this was the only type of orange known in Europe until after 1500 and now grows cultivated or wild in most subtropical areas of the world. A large portion of the crop is shipped to England and Scotland for the manufacture of marmalade. Peel and oil also find extensive use in flavorings for liquors, candies and the like. It is a popular herbal remedy, said to provide a "safe" form of Ephedrine, but this safety is not medically proven.

The most available variety in the U.S. and Europe is the Seville Orange which has a lumpy rind and very tart flesh. It's less sour than a lemon and has a distinctly orangy flavor, but it isn't something most people would want to eat out of hand. In Florida they are used for making pies. Details & Cooking

Blood Orange - [#4381 Citrus sinensis]
There are a number of red fleshed "blood" oranges but the Moro variety, possibly of Sicilian descent, is the most commonly grown in California and has the deepest color. Blood oranges are currently an "in item" and in good supply when in season, which runs from January to May. The color, caused by anthocyanin pigments (the same as in grapes and red cabbage) deepens as the season progresses. The photo specimens were typically 2-5/8 inch diameter and weighed 5 ounces.

Navel Orange - [Citrus sinensis]
This orange was discovered in Brazil and brought to California where it is a major crop variety. The distinguishing feature is a second, partially developed orange embedded in the flower end of the fruit. This causes an indentation or projection resembling a human navel at the flower end. This is large orange with a thick easily peeled rind, no seeds and the segments separate very easily making it a desirable eating orange. Older trees produce fruit with a thicker pith layer in the rind. Navels are not used for juice because the juice turns bitter if not used right away. The photo sample was 4-1/4 inches in diameter and weighed 1 pound 3 ounces (I have bought them up to 2 pounds). Available from November to around April.

Seville Orange - see Bitter Orange.

Valencia Orange - [Citrus sinensis]
The most widely grown varieties of orange in the U.S. and accounting for about half of all oranges grown. Florida Valencias are mainly juice varieties but California Valencias tend to be larger and more peelable so they can substitute for navel oranges when those are out of season. Valencias are available most of the year. The photo specimens, from Texas and sold as juice oranges, were typically 3-1/4 inches diameter and weighed 8-1/2 ounces. They tasted exactly like orange juice.

Grapefruit - [Citrus x paradisi]
This cross between a Pomelo and an Orange, originally found in Barbados, is named from the way the fruit clusters on the branches. The grapefruit is now grown primarily in Florida and Texas and in many varieties within three broad categories: white, pink and red. The whites tend to be very sour, even a little bitter while the reds tend to be quite sweet and the pinks somewhere in between - but there are exceptions. Grapefruits are mainly used as a breakfast fruit and as juice, often mixed with other juices. Caution: grapefruit can greatly speed up absorption of certain drugs resulting in unexpected overdose. The photo example, a sweet red grapefruit, was 4-1/4 inches in diameter and weighed 1 pound 1 ounce.

Grapefruit - Cocktail Grapefruit
This cross between a Pomelo and a Frua Mandarin is smallish, has lots of seeds and is very sweet with little of the distinctive grapefruit taste, in fact it tastes like a cross between a Pomelo and a Mandarin. They are quite juicy but the membranes are fragile and the flesh soft so if you try to eat one with a grapefruit spoon it will kind of mush up. They are best squeezed for juice. The larger of the photo specimens was 2-3/4 inches in diameter and weighed 13-1/2 ounces.

Oroblanko
A cross between a Siamese Sweet Pomelo and a white grapefruit developed at the University of California, Riverside. Early versions were green and didn't sell well here but are now marketed in Israel (see Sweetie). The market from which I buy them calls them "Pomelo Grapefruit". They have sweet flesh but the thick rind and membranes have a bitterness inherited from the pomelo. The photo specimen was 5-5/8 inches diameter and weighed 15-1/4 ounces.

Pomelo - [Jabong, Shaddock, Chinese Grapefruit, Citrus maxima or Citrus grandis]
Native to Southeast Asia, the Pomelo is now grown in tropical and subtropical areas all over Asia and the Pacific Islands as well as in California and Florida. The flesh may be pale yellow to red depending on variety (generally pale yellow in California) and tastes like a very mild sweet grapefruit. The rind tends to be very thick and distinctly bitter as are the membranes. Pomelo rind is considered very good for candying and is sometimes made into marmalade.

Sweetie - []
A cross between a Pomelo and a Grapefruit developed in California but now grown mostly in Israel. It's actually an earlier version of the Oroblanko which didn't take off here due to it's green color. In Israel they've marketed green as a feature. It's sweeter than a grapefruit and has the pomelo's thick rind. Photo by Yotam distributed under Creative Commons v2.5 license.

Clementine - [Algerian tangerine, Kalamintina (Arab)]

The world's most popular tangerine, mostly grown in Spain and North Africa (particularly Morocco), is now planted in California and Florida. Clementines are somewhat flattened in shape, easy to peel and have medium sweet juicy flesh in easy to separate segments. If Clementine trees are pollinated by other citrus varieties yield is greatly increased but the fruit will have seeds. The photo specimens were typically 2-1/2 inches diameter and weighed 3 ounces.

In California mandarins are simply sold loose and unprocessed, except Clementines. These are coaed with wax or resin to extend shelf life and packed in bags and boxes sold at a fixed weight (usually 5 pounds) for a fixed price, usually a rather high fixed price. I presume this packaging makes them easier and more profitable to export to the East Coast.

Ellendale Tangor - [#3032]

This Australian variety shows up in California stores in the second half of September. It has a loose easy to peel skin, segments separate easily and it is very sweet and juicy. It does have a moderate number of seeds. The photo specimens were typically 3-5/8 inches diameter and weighed 10-3/4 ounces.

Fairchild Mandarin - []

This cross between a Clementine tangerine and an Orlando tangelo is heavily planted in California and Arizona desert regions and is the first variety to ripen in tangerine season (October through January). They are roughly spherical but flattened on the flower end. They have seeds and the thin skin is relatively difficult to peel but hey are quite sweet and have excellent flavor. The photo specimens were typically 2.3 inches in diameter and weighed 3-3/8 ounces.

Fallglo Tangarine - [#3144; (tangerine x tengelo) x (tangarine x orange)]

This variety, typically grown in Florida, starts to appear in stores in mid October and reaches optimum flavor near the end of November. The tight peel is 1/8 to 3/16 inch thick and moderately easy to peel, particularly if you start from the stem end. The segments are easy to separate. This tangarine is sweet-tart and very juicy, similar to an orange but with some tangarine flavor. It often, but not always, has a distinct navel, as shown in the photo, and typically has between 20 and 40 seeds. This is a new variety released by the USDA Horticultural Station in 1989. It is thought to be 5/8 tangerine, 1/4 orange and 1/8 grapefruit. The photo specimens were typically 3-1/8 inches in diameter and weighed 7-1/2 ounces.

Kinnow
Developed at the University of California Riverside this is now the most planted mandarin in Pakistan and Punjab, but some are grown in California too. It is smooth skinned, slightly flattened at the ends, and while the skin is much tighter than with most mandarins it is still easily peelable and the segments separate fairly easily. The flesh is orange, seedy, very juicy, aromatic, sweet and richly flavored.

The peel has a fair amount of oil so it's good to use where tangarene peel is needed and it dries well. This is an excellent all-around cooking and eating mandarin. The California crop becomes available in January and runs until April. The photo specimens were about 2-7/8 inches diameter and weighed 5-1/2 ounces.

Minneola Tangelo - [Honeyball]
A cross between the Duncan grapefruit and Dancy mandarin this tangelo presents a bit of the tartness of it's grapefruit parent. The skin is thin and tight but it is peelable. Cross pollination produces higher yields than unpollinated trees but then there will be seeds in the fruit. The largest of the photo specimens was 3 inches in diameter and weighed 7.8 ounces. These are available from mid December through April and will be sweeter towards the end of the season.

Murcott Tangerine - [Honey Tangerine]

Under the "Honey Tangerine" name this is the most grown late season tangor in Florida and is grown in California under its real name, Murcott. It's origin is unknown but it's thought to be a cross between a tangerine and a sweet orange, first grown by the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) around 1916. This very sweet Tangor is a slightly flattened sphere, the skin is smooth and peels very well to reasonably well, variable within a batch, and the segments separate easily. Some will be seedless but others will have a few seeds. The largest in the photo (back left) was 3 inches diameter and weighed 5 ounces, though 3-1/2 ounces.is more typical.

Orlando Tangelo - [PLU 4456]
This tangelo is a cross between a Duncan grapefruit and a Dancy mandarin. These will have a few seeds and the skin is tight - peelable but with more difficulty than others in this category. They are available from November through January.

Royal Mandarin - [Temple Orange, PLU 4455]
These fairly large tangors have a thin, close fitting skin but it peels very easily and the segments separate easily. The skin is slightly pebbled and and slightly depressed at the flower end, flavor is quite sweet, almost spicy, and they have few or no seeds. Found in Jamaica as a naturally occurring tangor, they are grown in Florida and in the warmest inland valleys of California - available from mid January through February. The photo specimens were typically 3 inches in diameter and weighed 7-1/2 ounces.

Satsuma Mandarin - [Unshu Mikan (Japan), Wenzhou Migan (China)]
This variety was originally found in China but brought to the U.S. from Japan. Most grown in China now are also varieties brought back from Japan. There are many varieties grown in the U.S. but the Owari Satsuma is the most common. They have a very loose skin and are extremely easy to peel but the flesh is easily bruised and the loose skin may conceal damage. These mandarins are juicy with good sweet flavor and ease of peeling makes them particularly desirable so efforts are being made to extend their short season of availability. The photo specimens were typically 2-7/8 inches in diameter and weighed 5.7 ounces. They are available from mid October through December.

Satsuma Mandarin - Green
I found these in the market in early October so they're about as early season as mandarins get.They seemed to me a bit less sweet than regular satsumas, but I didn't have the opprtunity to do a direct comparison. Same size and shape as the regular satsumas but the skin is definitely less wrinkled.

Shasta Mandarin
Now this is just ridiculous - a tangarine that weighs over a pound! That big guy on the left was 1 pound 3-5/8 oz, 3 inches high and 4-5/8 inches in diameter, about the size of a medium navel orange. Even the smallest of the batch (cut open) weighed 10 ounces. Yet they're all a tangarine should be: easy to peel, easy to segment, juicy, very sweet, tasty and seedless. Formerly TDE2 it was released by the University of California as Shasta Gold in 2002. They mature from mid-February to mid-March but hold on the tree well so can be found as late as early May.

Ugli Fruit - [Uniq, Citrus reticulata x Citrus paradisi].

A tangelo, a cross between a tangerine and a pomello or grapefruit, found growing wild in Jamaica, where it is now cultivated. This is a large fruit, a little smaller than a grapefruit, and has a rough, blotchy rind, and is at is peak when the green blotches turn mostly orange. The rind is loose and the flesh juicy and sweet, more like a tangerine than a grapefruit. They are in season from December to April when they are exported to the US and Europe. I've never seen one in California, which isn't surprising considering the citrus import restrictions here (designed to protect the huge California citrus industry from imported bugs and diseases).   Photo copyright i0088.