Pomelo

{{Short description|Citrus fruit from Southeast Asia}} {{good article}} {{Redirect-multi|2|Yòuzi|Nobap fruit|the smaller citrus fruit|Yuzu|the film|Nobap}} {{Speciesbox |name = Pomelo |image = Pomelo fruit.jpg |image2 = |status = LC |status_system = IUCN3.1 |status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). |author2=IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group |date=2019 |title=''Citrus maxima'' |volume=2019 |article-number=e.T62042732A147027490 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T62042732A147027490.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> |genus = Citrus |species = maxima |authority = ([[Johannes Burman|Burm.]]) [[Elmer Drew Merrill|Merr.]] }}

The '''pomelo''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ɒ|m|ɪ|l|oʊ|,_|ˈ|p|ʌ|m|-}} {{respell|POM|il|oh|,_|PUM|-}};<ref>{{cite book |title=The Chambers Dictionary |publisher=Chambers |year=2003 |isbn=0-550-10105-5 |edition=9th |chapter=pomelo}}</ref><ref>{{cite Merriam-Webster |pomelo |access-date=2021-01-25}}</ref> or '''pummelo''', '''''Citrus maxima'''''), also known as a '''shaddock''', is the largest [[citrus]] fruit. It is an ancestor of several cultivated citrus species, including the [[bitter orange]] and the [[grapefruit]]. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fruit, native to [[Southeast Asia]]. Similar in taste to a sweet grapefruit, the pomelo is commonly eaten and used for festive occasions throughout Southeast and East Asia. As with the grapefruit, [[phytochemical]]s in the pomelo have the [[Grapefruit–drug interactions|potential for drug interactions]].

== Description == The pomelo tree can be {{convert|16|–|50|ft|m|0|order=flip|abbr=off}} tall, with a trunk, often rather crooked, that is {{convert|4|–|12|in|cm|0|order=flip|abbr=off}} thick, and low-hanging, irregular branches. The [[Petiole (botany)|petioles]] (leaf stalks) are distinctly winged. The leaves are alternate, [[Glossary of botanical terms#ovate|ovate]] or [[Glossary of botanical terms#E|elliptic]] in shape, and {{cvt|2|–|8|in|cm|0|order=flip}} long; they are leathery and dull green above, hairy beneath. The flowers, produced singly or in clusters, are fragrant and yellow-white.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/>

The fruit is large, {{cvt|10|–|30|cm|in|frac=2}} in diameter, round or somewhat pear-shaped.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/> Its weight varies by [[cultivar]] from {{convert|0.26|-|1.95|kg|lb|1|abbr=off}}.<ref name="Pan Ali Gong 2021">{{cite journal |last1=Pan |first1=Tengfei |last2=Ali |first2=Muhammad Moaaz |last3=Gong |first3=Jiangmei |last4=She |first4=Wenqin |last5=Pan |first5=Dongming |last6=Guo |first6=Zhixiong |last7=Yu |first7=Yuan |last8=Chen |first8=Faxing |title=Fruit Physiology and Sugar-Acid Profile of 24 Pomelo (Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck) Cultivars Grown in Subtropical Region of China |journal=Agronomy |volume=11 |issue=12 |date=2021-11-24 |issn=2073-4395 |doi=10.3390/agronomy11122393 |doi-access=free |page=2393|bibcode=2021Agron..11.2393P }}</ref> It has thicker [[peel (fruit)|peel]] than a grapefruit, and is divided into 11 to 18 segments.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo">{{cite web |last=Morton |first=Julia F. |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/pummelo.html |title=Pummelo: ''Citrus maxima''| pages=147–151 |work=Fruits of warm climates |publisher=NewCROP, New Crop Resource Online Program, Center for New Crops and Plant Products, Purdue University |date=1987 |access-date=2020-01-31 }}</ref> The flesh is less acidic than that of the grapefruit.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/><ref name="Morton 1987 grapefruit">{{cite web |first=Julia F. |last=Morton |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/grapefruit.html |title=Grapefruit: ''Citrus paradisi'' |pages=152–158 |work=Fruits of warm climates |publisher=NewCROP, New Crop Resource Online Program, Center for New Crops and Plant Products, Purdue University |date=1987 |access-date=2020-01-31 }}</ref>

The pomelo has at least sixty cultivars.<ref name="Jeanne Kelley">{{cite news |last=Kelley |first=Jeanne |title=Pomelos, grapefruit's sweeter and mellower relative, have a wealth of flavor |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=2016-02-13 |url=https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-pomelo-20160213-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160212231651/https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-pomelo-20160213-story.html |archive-date=2016-02-12 |access-date=2021-11-19 }}</ref> The fruit generally contains a few, relatively large seeds, but some cultivars have numerous seeds.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/> The characteristics of pomelo vary widely across South Asia.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/>

The pomelo is native to [[Southeast Asia]] and all of Malaysia.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo" /> The tree may have been introduced to [[China]] around 100 BCE, and is now heavily cultivated in [[Southern China]].<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo" /> Seeds of the tree were first brought to the [[Americas]] in the late 1600s.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo" />

<gallery mode=packed> File:Pomelo seedling.jpg|Seedling File:Pomelo flower.jpg|Flowers File:Bưởi.jpg|Tree File:Citrus grandis - Honey White.jpg|Fruit </gallery>

== History ==

=== Ancestral ''Citrus'' species ===

[[File:Pummelo or Pamplemousse (Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.); flowe Wellcome V0042686.jpg|thumb|upright|Flowering and fruiting branch, [[Chromolithography|chromolithograph]] by P. Depannemaeker, c. 1885]]

The pomelo is significant botanically as one of the three major wild ancestors of several cultivated [[hybrid (biology)|hybrid]] ''[[Citrus]]'' species, including the [[bitter orange]] and the [[grapefruit]]; and less directly also of the [[lemon]], the [[orange (fruit)|sweet orange]], and some types of [[mandarin orange|mandarin]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Klein |first=Joshua D. |volume=2 |pages=199–214 |doi=10.1007/978-94-017-9276-9_10 |series=Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World |year=2014 |title=Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the Middle-East |isbn=978-94-017-9275-2 |chapter=Citron Cultivation, Production and Uses in the Mediterranean Region}}</ref><ref name="Wu Terol Ibanez 2018">{{cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Guohong Albert |last2=Terol |first2=Javier |last3=Ibanez |first3=Victoria |last4=López-García |first4=Antonio |last5=Pérez-Román |first5=Estela |last6=Borredá |first6=Carles |last7=Domingo |first7=Concha |last8=Tadeo |first8=Francisco R. |last9=Carbonell-Caballero |first9=Jose |last10=Alonso |first10=Roberto |last11=Curk |first11=Franck |last12=Du |first12=Dongliang |last13=Ollitrault |first13=Patrick |last14=Roose |first14=Mikeal L. Roose |last15=Dopazo |first15=Joaquin |last16=Gmitter Jr |first16=Frederick G. |last17=Rokhsar |first17=Daniel |last18=Talon |first18=Manuel |display-authors=5 |title=Genomics of the origin and evolution of ''Citrus'' |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |year=2018 |volume=554 |issue=7692 |pages=311–316 |doi=10.1038/nature25447 |pmid=29414943 |bibcode=2018Natur.554..311W |doi-access=free |hdl=20.500.11939/5741 |hdl-access=free}} and Supplement</ref> The bitter orange is a naturally occurring hybrid between the pomelo and the [[Mandarin orange|mandarin]].<ref name="Wu Terol Ibanez 2018"/> The grapefruit is a hybrid between a pomelo and a sweet orange;<ref name="Wu Terol Ibanez 2018"/> typically, 63% of the grapefruit's genome comes from the pomelo.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/aop/article-10.21273-HORTTECH04679-20/article-10.21273-HORTTECH04679-20.xml |title=Grapefruit: History, Use, and Breeding in: HortTechnology Volume 31 Issue 3 (2021) |journal=Horttechnology |publisher=Journals.ashs.org |date=June 2021|volume=31 |issue=3 |pages=243–258 |doi=10.21273/HORTTECH04679-20 |access-date=2022-05-01 |last1=Louzada |first1=Eliezer S. |last2=Ramadugu |first2=Chandrika |doi-access=free }}</ref> The bitter orange is a hybrid of wild type mandarin and pomelo; in turn, the lemon is a hybrid of bitter orange and [[citron]], i.e. cultivated lemons have some pomelo ancestry.<ref name="Wu Terol Ibanez 2018"/> In addition, there has been repeated introgression of pomelo [[genes]] into both early cultivated hybrid mandarins and later mandarin varieties, these last also involving hybridisation with the sweet orange. Pomelo genes are thus included in many types of cultivated ''Citrus''.<ref name="Wu Terol Ibanez 2018"/>

[[File:Hybrid origins of Citrus.svg|thumb|center|500px|upright=3|The pomelo is one of the wild ancestors of cultivated ''[[Citrus]]'' species including the [[bitter orange]] and the [[grapefruit]], and less directly also of the [[lemon]], the [[orange (fruit)|sweet orange]], and some types of [[mandarin orange|mandarin]].<ref name="Wu Terol Ibanez 2018"/>]]

=== Etymology ===

According to the [[Oxford English Dictionary]], the [[etymology]] of the word "pomelo" is uncertain.<ref>{{Cite OED|pomelo|id=147483}}</ref> It may be derived from [[Dutch language|Dutch]] {{lang|nl|pompelmoes}}.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/> The Dutch name in turn has uncertain etymology, but is possibly derived from Dutch {{lang|nl|pompel}} ("swollen") or {{lang|nl|pompoen}} ("pumpkin"), combined with {{lang|nl|limoes}} ("[[lemon]], [[citrus]] fruit"), influenced by [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] {{lang|pt|limões}} with the same meaning.<ref name="Etym NL"/> An alternative possibility is that the Dutch name derives from Portuguese {{lang|pt|pomos limões}} ("citrus fruit").<ref name="Etym NL">{{cite web |title=pompelmoes - (grote citrusvrucht (Citrus maxima)) |url=https://etymologiebank.nl/trefwoord/pompelmoes |website=Etymologiebank.nl |access-date=1 November 2024}}</ref> The [[Specific name (botany)|specific name]] ''maxima'' is the feminine form of the Latin word meaning "biggest".<ref>{{cite web |title=maximus |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/maximus |publisher=Cambridge Dictionary |access-date=28 October 2024}}</ref>

One theory for the alternative English name "shaddock" is that it was adopted after the plant's introduction into [[Barbados]] by a "Captain Shaddock" of the [[East India Company]] (apparently Philip Chaddock, who visited the island in the late 1640s).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kumamoto |first1=J. |last2=Scora |first2=R.W. |last3=Lawton |first3=H.W. |last4=Clerx |first4=W.A. |title=Mystery of the Forbidden Fruit: Historical Epilogue on the Origin of the Grapefruit, ''Citrus paradisi'' (Rutaceae) |journal=Economic Botany |year=1987 |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=97–107 |doi=10.1007/BF02859356 |bibcode=1987EcBot..41...97K |s2cid=42178548 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.itfnet.org/v1/2013/03/2406/ |title=Pomelo: The 'lucky' giant citrus |date=21 March 2013}}</ref> From there the name spread to [[Jamaica]] in 1696.<ref name=AHD>[[American Heritage Dictionary]], 1973.</ref>

=== Taxonomy ===

In his ''[[Herbarium Amboinense]]'', published posthumously in 1741, [[Georg Eberhard Rumphius]] named it ''Limo decumanus''.<ref name="Merrill 1917"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Rumphius |first=Georg Eberhard |author-link=Georg Eberhard Rumphius |title=Herbarium Amboinense |date=1741 |page=96 |volume=2}}</ref> In 1753, [[Carl Linnaeus]] mentioned the plant as a subspecies, ''Citrus aurantium var grandis''.<ref name="Merrill 1917"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Linnaeus |first=Carl |author-link=Carl Linnaeus |title=[[Species Plantarum|Species plantarum]] |date=1753 |page=783}}</ref> In 1755, [[Johannes Burman]] validly described the species from the [[type specimen]], giving it the name ''Aurantium maximum'', now considered a [[basionym]].<ref name="AGB"/> In 1757, [[Pehr Osbeck]] named it ''Citrus grandis''.<ref name="Merrill 1917"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Osbeck |first=Pehr |author-link=Pehr Osbeck |title=Dagbok öfwer en ostindisk Resa åren 1750 |language=sv |trans-title=Diary of an East Indian Journey in the Year 1750 |date=1757 |page=98}}</ref> Linnaeus revisited the taxonomy in 1767, renaming the species as ''Citrus decumana''.<ref name="Merrill 1917"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Linnaeus |first=Carl |author-link=Carl Linnaeus |title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae |title-link=Systema naturae |date=1767 |page=508 |chapter=12}}</ref> In 1917, [[Elmer Drew Merrill]] revised and renamed it ''Citrus maxima''.<ref name="AGB">{{cite web |title=Taxon: Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr. |url=https://agb.amvmt.lt/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=10744 |website=Augalų Genų Bankas GRIN-Global |access-date=1 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="Merrill 1917">{{cite book |last=Merrill |first=Elmer Drew |author-link=Elmer Drew Merrill |title=An interpretation of Rumphius's Herbarium amboinense |date=1917 |publisher=Bureau of printing |location=Manila, Philippines |page=296 |url=https://archive.org/details/interpretationof00merr}}</ref> [[Aurantioideae]] remains as a [[subfamily]].<ref name="EPPO">{{cite web |title=Citrus maxima (CIDGR) |url=https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/CIDGR |website=EPPO Global Database |access-date=1 March 2025}}</ref>

== As food ==

=== Nutrition ===

{{nutritional value | name = Pomelo, raw | image = Pomelo flesh.jpg | caption = Flesh of a pomelo | kJ=159 | protein = 0.76 g | fat = 0.04 g | carbs = 9.62 g | fibre = 1 g | iron_mg = 0.11 | magnesium_mg = 6 | phosphorus_mg= 17 | potassium_mg = 216 | sodium_mg = 1 | zinc_mg = 0.08 | manganese_mg = 0.017 | vitC_mg = 61 | thiamin_mg = 0.034 | riboflavin_mg= 0.027 | niacin_mg = 0.22 | vitB6_mg = 0.036 | water=89 g | source_usda = 1 | note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/167754/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry] }}

Raw pomelo flesh is 89% water, 10% [[carbohydrate]]s, 1% [[protein (nutrient)|protein]], and contains negligible [[fat]]. A 100-gram reference amount provides {{convert|159|kJ|kcal|abbr=off}} of [[food energy]], and is rich in [[vitamin C]] (68% of the [[Daily Value]]), with no other [[micronutrient]]s in significant content (table).

=== Culinary ===

The flesh and juice are edible, and the peel may be candied.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/> It is eaten as a dessert, or used in salads.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/> In the Philippines, a pink beverage is made from pomelo and [[pineapple juice]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hargreaves |first1=Dorothy |last2=Hargreaves |first2=Bob |title=Tropical Trees of the Pacific |year=1970 |publisher=Hargreaves |location=Kailua, Hawaii |page=51}}</ref>

In East Asia, especially in [[Cantonese cuisine]], braised pomelo pith is used to make dishes that are high in [[Fiber|fibre]] and low in fat.<ref>{{cite web |title=Braised pomelo pith |url=https://www.weekinchina.com/2017/12/braised-pomelo-pith/ |website=Week in China |access-date=22 August 2020 |date=8 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125234152/https://www.weekinchina.com/2017/12/braised-pomelo-pith/ |archive-date=2021-01-25 }}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=180 heights=180> File:Pomelos for sale, Tapah.jpg|[[Ipoh]] pomelos on sale in Malaysia File:Tam som-o nam pu.JPG|''Tam som-o nam pu'': spicy Thai pomelo salad with crab extract </gallery>

=== Drug interactions ===

The pomelo, while not itself toxic, can cause adverse interactions similar to those caused by the grapefruit with a wide range of [[prescription drug]]s. These occur by the inhibition of [[cytochrome P450]]-mediated metabolism of prescription drugs including for example some [[anti-hypertensive]]s, some [[anticoagulant]]s, some [[anticancer agents]], some [[anti-infective agent]]s, some [[statin]]s, and some [[immunosuppressant]]s.<ref name="Bailey">{{cite journal |last1=Bailey |first1=D. G. |last2=Dresser |first2=G. |last3=Arnold |first3=J. M. O. |title=Grapefruit-medication interactions: Forbidden fruit or avoidable consequences? |journal=[[Canadian Medical Association Journal]] |volume=185 |issue=4 |date=26 November 2012 |doi=10.1503/cmaj.120951 |pages=309–316 |pmc=3589309 |pmid=23184849}}</ref>

== Cultivation ==

The seeds of the pomelo are [[monoembryonic]], producing seedlings with genes from both parents, so they do not breed true to type.<ref name="ITFN"/> However, they are usually fairly similar to the tree they grow from and therefore in Asia, pomelos are typically grown from seed.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/> Seeds can be stored for 80 days at a temperature of {{convert|41|F|C|order=flip|abbr=on}} with moderate relative humidity.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/> Pomelos can be [[Vegetative reproduction|propagated vegetatively]] by [[air-layering]], by taking cuttings, by [[grafting]], by [[shield budding]], or by [[tissue culture]].<ref name="ITFN">{{cite web |title=[Pomelo] Propagation |url=http://www.itfnet.org/contents/fruit/fruitInfo/html/trdLevel2043.html |publisher=International Tropical Fruits Network |access-date=24 March 2025}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=180 heights=180> File:Xiancun - pomelo orchards - DSCF4064.JPG|Pomelos in [[Fujian]] File:Vườn bưởi.jpg|Orchard in Vietnam </gallery>

== In culture ==

The pomelo features in cultural and spiritual festivals across Asia. In China, during the [[Chinese New Year|Lunar New Year]] festival, the fruit is offered to ancestors. Its name is similar to the word for "to have" (有, ''yǒu''), making it a symbol of prosperity and family unity.<ref>{{cite web |last =Guri |first =Catohrinner Joyce |date =2015-09-27 |title =Significance of pomelo for Chinese people |url=https://asianitinerary.com/significance-of-pomelo-for-chinese-people/ |access-date =2025-02-04 |website =Asian Itinerary}}</ref> In Thailand, pomelo is used in rituals such as the [[Songkran festival]].<ref>{{Cite news |last =Svasti |first =Pichaya |date =2013-08-15 |title =Pomelo festival in Samut Songkhram |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/travel/364710/pomelo-festival-in-samut-songkhram |access-date=2025-02-04 |work=[[Bangkok Post]] |language =en}}</ref> In the Hindu festival of [[Chhath Puja]], pomelo is used as an offering.<ref>{{cite news |last =Yadav |first =Shikha |title=Markets bloom with traditional offerings |url =https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/chhath-puja-2024-discover-traditional-offerings-and-festive-rituals-in-ranchis-markets/articleshow/115032350.cms |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=November 7, 2024}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=220 heights=180> File:Chhat Puja with Pomelo.jpg|[[Chhat Puja]] with pomelo, India </gallery>

== References ==

[[Category:Citrus]] [[Category:Flora of tropical Asia]] [[Category:Fruit trees]] [[Category:Plants described in 1755]] [[Category:Austronesian agriculture]]