Bwa-yo - Société Audubon Haiti

96 Sitwon...Zoranj ...Chadek
Table 12.1 Morphological differences among major Citrus species in Haiti, after Little
and Wadsworth (1989) and Purseglove (l968b). Bold-faced characteristics are important
in distinguishing the species.
SPECIES LEAF FLOWER FRUIT
C. aurantifolia Narrowly-winged petiole, Less than 2.5 cm dia.; Small, elliptic to round, 4-6 cm dia.; thin
lime, sitwon 1-2 em long; dull green white, saucer-shaped calyx; peel, 1.5 mm thick; green, turning yellow;
blade, 4-10 em long, 2-6 4-5 oblong petals, 8-12 mm very sour pulp; small oval seeds;
em wide, rounded base long; 20-25 stamens polyembryonic; white cotyledons
C. aurantium Broadly-winged petiole, Light green, 4-5 toothed Round to subglobose, 6.4-11.4 em
sour orange, zoranj 2-4 em long, 1-1.6 em calyx; 5 oblong petals, 1.9 diameter; usually hollow core; rough
si wide; green, slightly em long; 20-24 stamens peel, 0.6-1 em thick, strongly aromatic,
shiny blade, 6.4-14 em green; bitter and very sour pulp; small
long, 3.8-10.2 em wide pulp vesicles; numerous polyembryonie
seeds
C.limon Short, Solitary or clustered; 3.8-5 Oval with terminal nipple, 5-10 em long,
lemon, limon frans narrowly-margined .cm dia.; reddish buds; light yellow when ripe; thick adherent
petioles; 5-10 em long, petals white above, purplish peel, predominate gland dots, slightly
3-6 em wide; ovate, below; 20-40 stamens rough; oviod polyembryonic seeds; white
serrate cotyledons
C. maxima Broadly-winged petiole; Solitary or clustered Very large pear-shaped, 10-30 em dia.;
pummelo, ehadek 5-20 em long, 2-12 em flowers, 3-7 em dia.; cream yellowish when ripe; thick peel; sweetish
wide; undersurface of colored petals; 20-25 juice; large, ridged, monoembryonic seeds
midrib often pubescent stamens
C. medica Short wingless petiole, 3-4 em dia.; 5 pinkish Large oblong, 10-20 em long; bumpy,
citron, sitwon not clearly articulated petals; 30-40 stamens very thick peel, yellow; sour, greenish
at top; elliptic, serrate, pulp; small white polyembryonic seeds
8-20 em long, 3-9 em
wide
C. paradisi Broadly-winged petiole; Single or clustered, 4-5 em Large globuse fruit, 8-15 em dia. greenish
grapefruit, leaves smaller than C. dia.; usually 5 white petals; or pale yellow when ripe; rind thinner
pamplemouse grandis, pale green when 20-25 stamens and pulp vesicles smaller than C.
young, glabrous beneath grandis; white polyembryonic seeds;
white cotyledons
C. reticulata Narrowly-winged or Small, 1.5-2.5 em dia.; 5 Top of fruit depressed; globuse, 5-8 em
mandarin, margined petiole; small white petals; about 20 dia.; thin peel, loose and easily
mandaren and narrow, 4-8 em stamens separating from segments, green turning
long, 1.5-4 em wide; to yellow or orange-red when ripe; sweet
dark shiny above, and juicy pulp; small, polyembryonie
yellowish-green below seed; green embryos
C. sinensis Narrowly-winged, Greenish-white broad Round, 6.4-9.5 em diameter; smooth peel,
sweet orange, articulated petiole, 1-2 saucer-shaped calyx; 5 white 0.6 em thick, tightly adherent; green to
zoranj dous em long; dark green or eliptie petals, 1.3-2.2 em yellowish-green; sweet pulp; nil to
yellow-green blade, long numerous polyembryonie seeds; white
6.4-15.2 em long, embryos
3.2-8.9 em wide
sis) to Haiti on his second voyage in 1493 (Pursglove, 1968b). C. aurantifolia and C.
aurantium were introduced to the Western Hemisphere by the Spanish early in their colonization.
C. maxima was brought to Barbados during the seventeenth century by
Captain Shaddock, giving rise to its common names, 'shaddock' and 'chadek'. The origin
of C. paradisi is not certain, though a close relative of C. maxima supports the idea,
that it resulted as a cross between C. maxima and C. sinensis or as a bud mutation of C.
maxima. Though most of the citrus species occur throughout Haiti, the best production
of the different species depends upon elevation and rainfall: hot and high-rainfall
regions of the low elevations favor lime, grapefruit, shaddock and some sweet orange
cultivars; the mid elevations favor most of the sweet orange cultivars and mandarins
(Wiltbank, 1982). The prinicipal production regions ofthe newer imported cultivars are