Pompia

Pompia
Pompia fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Rutaceae
Genus:	Citrus
Species:	C. m. tuberosa
Binomial name
Citrus medica tuberosa Risso & Poiteau, 1818
Synonyms
Citrus medica monstruosa Moris Citrus monstruosa Citrus x monstruosa Citrus limon var. pompia Citrus limon var. pompia var. nova Citrus medica x aurantium

Open pompia fruit

Sa pompia intrea, a traditional dessert of Siniscola consisting of the candied rind of the fruit covered in honey

Citron varieties
Acidic-pulp varieties
Balady citron Diamante citron Greek citron
Non-acidic varieties
Corsican citron Moroccan citron
Pulpless varieties
Fingered citron Yemenite citron
Citron hybrids
Bizzaria Florentine citron Kabbad Lumia Pompia Ponderosa lemon Rangpur lime Rhobs el Arsa Rough lemon Volkamer lemon
Related articles
Citrus taxonomy Etrog Succade Sukkot
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Pompia (Citrus medica tuberosa), also called pumpia, sa pompia, spompia, and China citron, is a Citrus hybrid cultivated for its edible fruit.^[1]

Distribution[]

Pompia originated and is found only in Sardinia, especially the eastern half, where it can be found growing wild in citrus groves and cultivated in backyards or orchards.^[2] The earliest descriptions of it date back to 1780 and it likely originated around 1760 in Milis.^[3]

Description[]

The fruit is moderately large (at least as large as a grapefruit), round and sometimes oblate or square in shape, and has a rough, warty, yellow (green when unripe), thick, and sometimes ribbed rind. It sometimes has a circular depression in the top or bottom. The inner pulp is acidic, yellow, and mostly dry and is generally considered inedible;^[4] it has been described as bitter and chewy. It has a subtle fragrance and contains 13-14 wedges with large vesicles. It is usually seedless but may contain 1-3 polyembryonic seeds which measure 8-12 millimeters in length and are roughly triangular in shape. It weighs up to 1.5 pounds (0.7 kilograms). The tree is densely branched and grows 2–3 meters in height and has an expanded and erect posture. The petiole is unwinged and measures 6-10 millimeters in length. The leaves are elliptical in shape and are dark green in color; they are leathery and the apex is rounded in an ovate to lanceolate shape. The margin is entire and the midrib is very defined. The flowers are white in color and are either solitary or in clusters of 2-8; they usually have five petals. They have numerous stamens and dorsifixed anthers, and the stigma is round and green in color and irregularly lobed. The tree fruits from October to February–March.^[3]

Uses[]

The fruit has been grown and cultivated for at least two centuries in Sardinia; however, it did not gain international popularity until the 1990s, when a large orchard of pompia trees were planted as part of a social farming project. Since then, it has become a preside of Slow Food.^[5] It is most notably used in Sa pompia Intrea, a traditional dessert of Siniscola in which the rind of the fruit is candied and then covered with honey and served on an orange leaf. It is also used in various liquors^[6] and is sometimes grafted onto sour orange.^[3]

Genetics[]

Before the parentage was confirmed, the pompia was thought to be a hybrid of a citron and grapefruit or citron and lemon; however, recent studies have proven the pompia to be a hybrid of the citron (C. medica) and the sour orange (C. aurantium), with the citron being the pollen parent and the sour orange being the seed parent. The variety of the citron parent has not been confirmed, but it is likely a Diamante citron or a common poncire. The pompia is genetically synonymous with the Rhobs el Arsa and Poncire de Collioure citrons. The essential oil composition in the leaf is closer to that of a citron, while the EO composition in the zest is closer to that of a sour orange.^[1] The major compound in the fruit is limonene at 94%, and it contains smaller amounts of sesquiterpenes and its derivatives.^[7] The rind of the fruit contains antioxidant substances^[8] and the leaves contain antimicrobial substances that kill Listeria bacteria on foods.^[9]

Taxonomy[]

Citrus limon var. pompia is treated as a synonym of Citrus limon in taxonomy.^[10]

See also[]

• List of citrus fruits

References[]