Kingdom Plantae Family Rutaceae Species C. × limonia Higher classification Citrus | Order Sapindales Genus Citrus Scientific name Citrus × limonia Rank Hybrid | |
 | ||
Similar Water, Rough lemon, Persian lime, Sugar, Tangelo | ||
Rangpur, Citrus × limonia, also known as lemandarin, is a hybrid between the mandarin orange and the lemon.
Contents
It is a citrus fruit with a very acidic taste and an orange peel and flesh.
Vernacular names
Common names for this fruit include rangpur, named after Rangpur, Bangladesh, an area known for this and other citrus fruits. This is where the word originated in the Bengali language. The rangpur is also known in India as Sylhet lime, surkh nimboo, sharbati, and gandhraj (meaning 'king of fragrance'). It is known as a canton-lemon in South China, a hime-lemon in Japan, as limão-capeta, limão-cravo, limão-rosa or limão-galego in Brazil, and mandarin-lime in the United States.
History
Citrus × limonia was introduced into Florida in the late nineteenth century by Reasoner Brothers of Oneco, who obtained seed from northwestern India.
Uses
Rangpurs are highly acidic and can be used as a substitute for commercial limes. However the name lime in connection with this fruit is often misleading, because there are very few similarities between the rangpur and other fruits called limes.
In 2006, Diageo introduced a rangpur-flavored version of Tanqueray gin, known simply as Tanqueray Rangpur.
Citrus × limonia is cultivated as an ornamental tree for planting in gardens and a container plant on patios and terraces in the United States. Outside the U.S. it is used principally as a citrus rootstock, except Costa Rica where it is also grown commercially and is preferred over lime and lemon.
