Citrus macroptera, commonly known as Melanesian papeda, or wild orange,Harley I. Manner, Richard S. Buker, Virginia Easton Smith, Deborah Ward, and Craig R. Elevitch 2006. Species profiles for Pacific Island agroforestry: Citrus (citrus) and Fortunella (kumquat), Rutaceae (Rue family). pdf is a semi-wild species of citrus native to the Malesian ecoregion (Island Southeast Asia and Melanesia).
Some authorities consider C. macroptera to be a taxonomic synonym of C. hystrix (kaffir lime), while others consider C. macroptera var. annamensis to be a synonym of C. hystrix, but not C. macroptera var. macroptera.
Citrus macroptera is cultivated widely in the Sylhet region (South Asia) of Bangladesh and the Barak Valley Division of the Indian state of Assam, where it is known as hatkhora (, ).
Description Citrus macroptera is so-named because of the large "wings" (-ptera) on the petiole, which is as large as the blade of the leaf. The tree, which has thorns, can reach in height. Its fruit is about in diameter, has a fairly smooth, moderately thick rind, and is yellow when ripe. The pulp of the fruit is light yellow and quite dry (does not produce much juice). The juice is bitter, and somewhat sour.
Varieties The species is sometimes divided into four varieties, or alternatively into three separate species, as follows:Porcher Michel H. et al. 1995–2020 (2007). Sorting Citrus Names: Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (M.M.P.N.D) - A Work in Progress. School of Agriculture and Food Systems. Faculty of Land & Food Resources. The University of Melbourne. Australia. C. macroptera var. macroptera C. macroptera var. annamensis Tanaka -> C. combara Raf. C. macroptera var. combara (Raf.) Tanaka -> C. combara Raf. C. macroptera var. kerrii Swingle -> C. kerrii (Swingle) Tanaka
Cultivation Citrus macroptera is cultivated widely in the Sylhet region (South Asia) of Bangladesh and the Barak Valley Division of the Indian state of Assam, where it is known as hatkhora or (, ).
Citrus macroptera is cultivated on a small scale in home gardens in the northeast Indian states of Mizoram, Tripura, and Meghalaya, where its fruit is used for various purposes. A cultivar of C. macroptera var. annamensis is grown in the Sylhet Division of northeastern Bangladesh.
Citrus macroptera is also commercially cultivated in South Africa, Spain, and Tonga. In Spain the plant serves as a rootstock for other Citrus species.Peter Hanelt (ed.) 2001 Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops (except ornamentals), first English edition. Springer. in Google Books
Uses
Culinary uses In Bangladesh, especially Sylhet, the thick fleshy rind of the Citrus macroptera is eaten as a vegetable, while the pulp is usually discarded because of its bitter-sour taste. The thick rind is cut into pieces and cooked (either green or ripe) in beef, goat, and fish curries. It is also used in lentil curries. Adding and cooking the rind in the curry gives a unique flavour and aroma to the curry. The rind is often sun-dried to preserve it for later cooking and consumption. The rind of this citrus fruit is also pickled and commercially sold.
Perfumery The oil of the annamensis cultivar is used in the perfume industry.
See also Bangladeshi cuisine Beef Hatkora Citrus latipes a similar-looking species native to Northeast India
References
External links USDA PLANTS profile