Rangpur (fruit) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Rangpur Citrus × limonia

Rangpur fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Rutaceae
Genus:	Citrus
Species:	C. × limonia
Binomial name
**Citrus × limonia** Osbeck

The Rangpur is a special kind of citrus fruit. Its scientific name is Citrus × limonia. People sometimes call it the rangpur lime, mandarin lime, or lemandarin. This fruit is a mix, or hybrid, of a mandarin orange and a citron. It tastes very sour and has an orange peel and orange fruit inside.

What is the Rangpur Fruit?
Common Names for Rangpur
History of the Rangpur Fruit
How Rangpur is Used
- Growing Rangpur Trees
Images for kids
See also

What is the Rangpur Fruit?

The Rangpur fruit is a citrus fruit that looks a bit like a small orange. It is known for its very sour taste, similar to a lemon or lime. The skin and the inside of the fruit are both orange.

Common Names for Rangpur

This interesting fruit has many different names around the world. The name "rangpur" comes from a city in Bangladesh.

In the Indian subcontinent, it is also known as the Sylhet lime. Other names there include surkh nimboo and sharbati.

In South China, it's called a canton-lemon. In Japan, it's a hime-lemon. If you go to Brazil or Portugal, you might hear it called limão-capeta, limão-cravo, limão-rosa, or limão-galego. In the United States, it's often called a mandarin-lime. In Costa Rica, people call it limón-mandarina because it looks like a tangerine and its skin peels easily.

History of the Rangpur Fruit

The Rangpur fruit, Citrus × limonia, was brought to Florida in the late 1800s. A company called Reasoner Brothers got the seeds from northwestern India.

Even though it's often thought of as a type of lemon, scientists have studied its genes. They found out that it's a first-generation hybrid. This means it's a direct mix of a female citron (Citrus medica) and a male mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata).

How Rangpur is Used

Rangpurs are very sour, so they can be used in place of limes or lemons. However, calling it a "lime" can be confusing. It doesn't have many similarities to other fruits commonly known as limes.

In 2006, a company called Diageo made a special version of Tanqueray gin that tasted like rangpur. It was simply called Tanqueray Rangpur.

Growing Rangpur Trees

Citrus × limonia is grown as an ornamental tree in the United States. This means people plant it in gardens or in pots on patios and terraces just because it looks nice.

Outside the U.S., it's mostly used as a citrus rootstock. A rootstock is the bottom part of a tree that another plant is grafted onto. This helps the new plant grow better.

However, in Costa Rica, Rangpur is also grown for its fruit. People there prefer it over limes and lemons for cooking and drinks. It even grows wild in cow pastures and near towns in Costa Rica.