Citrus medica L. | |
Rutaceae | |
Narathai / Kadaramnarthai | |
| Botanical Name | Citrus medica L. |
| Synonyms | Narathai / Kadaramnarthai |
| Family | Rutaceae |
| Common Name | English: Citron, Mandarin orange / Tamil: Narthai, Kadaramnarthai |
| Distribution | Global: Native to Southeast Asia and China. Ornamental in Tropical countries. Indian: Throughout India |
| Description | Small to medium sized evergreen spiny tree grows up to 5-6m height, bark brown, smooth. Leaves simple, alternate, naked or winged petiole, margin entire, dorsal sided with prominent volatile oil glands, fragrant as lemon. Inflorescence axillary racemes. Flowers white, bisexual rarely unisexual, hypogynous, calyx copular, petals 4-8, linear oblong, imbricate. Stamens 20 - 80, filament variously connate, anther oblong. Disc large, ovary many celled, stigma capitate. Fruit hesperidium, globose, rind rough, yellow when ripen and sometimes irregular in shape. |
| Flowering Fruiting period | Throughout the year |
| Uses | Cultivated for its fruit used for pickles |
| Medicinal Uses | Fruit juice rich vitamin C which is an astringent, it also used for liver and spleen diseases. It was also potent antiscorbutic. |
| Tamil Name | Narathai / Kadaramnarthai |