| Prized for its ornamental value more widely than for its fruit, the calamondin was formerly identified as Citrus mitis Blanco (syn. C. microcarpa Bunge); more recently in Citrus circles, erroneously, as C. madurensis Lour.; now it has been given the hybrid name: X Citrofortunella mitis J. Ingram & H. E. Moore. Among alternate common names are: calamondin orange; Chinese, or China, orange; Panama orange; golden lime; scarlet lime; and, in the Philippines, kalamondin, kalamunding, kalamansi, calamansi, limonsito, or agridulce. Malayan names are limau kesturi ("musk lime") and limau chuit. In Thailand it is ma-nao-wan. The calamondin is believed native to China and thought to have been | |
| Prized for its ornamental value more widely than for its fruit, the calamondin was formerly identified as Citrus mitis Blanco (syn. C. microcarpa Bunge); more recently in Citrus circles, erroneously, as C. madurensis Lour.; now it has been given the hybrid name: X Citrofortunella mitis J. Ingram & H. E. Moore. Among alternate common names are: calamondin orange; Chinese, or China, orange; Panama orange; golden lime; scarlet lime; and, in the Philippines, kalamondin, kalamunding, kalamansi, calamansi, limonsito, or agridulce. Malayan names are limau kesturi ("musk lime") and limau chuit. In Thailand it is ma-nao-wan. The calamondin is believed native to China and thought to have been | |
The calamondin is as cold-hardy as the Satsuma orange and can be grown all along the Gulf Coast of the southern United States. It is moderately drought-tolerant. Calamondin trees may be easily grown from seeds, which are polyembryonic with 3 to 5 embryos each. For commercial fruit production in the Philippines, the trees are budded onto calamondin seedlings. In Florida, propagation by cuttings rooted under constant mist is the more common commercial procedure for pot culture. Even leaf-cuttings will root readily. Plants grown from cuttings fruit during the rooting period and will reach 18 to 24 in (45-60 cm) in height in 10 1/2 months. The flowers are self-fertile and require no cross-pollination. Transplanted into a large container and well cared for, a calamondin will grow at the rate of 1 ft (30 cm) per year; will produce an abundant crop of fruit at the age of 2 years and will continue to bear the year around. Potted plants for shipment can be stored in the dark for 2 weeks at 53.6º F (12º C) without loss of leaves or fruits in storage or in subsequent transit and marketing. In orchard plantings, Philippine workers have established that a complete commercial fertilizer with a 1:1 nitrogen to potassium ratio gives the best growth. There are 2 applications: one prior to the onset of the rainy season and the second just before the cessation of rains. Adequate moisture is the principal factor in yield, size and quality of the fruit. Drought and dehydrating winds often lead to mesophyll collapse.
Calamondin halves or quarters may be served with iced tea, seafood and
meats, to be squeezed for the acid juice. They were
commonly so used in Florida before limes became plentiful. Some people
boil the sliced fruits with cranberries to make a tart
sauce. Calamondins are also preserved whole in sugar sirup, or made
into sweet pickles, or marmalade. A superior marmalade
is made by using equal quantities of calamondins and kumquats. In Hawaii,
a calamondin-papaya marmalade is popular. In
Malaya, the calamondin is an ingredient in chutney. Whole fruits, fried
in coconut oil with various seasonings, are eaten with
curry. The preserved peel is added as flavoring to other fruits stewed
or preserved. The juice is primarily valued for making acid beverages.
It is often employed like lime or lemon juice to make gelatin salads or
desserts, custard pie or chiffon pie. In the Philippines, the extracted
juice, with the addition of gum tragacanth as an emulsifier, is pasteurized
and bottled commercially. This product must be stored at low temperature
to keep well. Pectin is recovered from the peel as a by-product of juice
production. The fruit juice is used in the Philippines to bleach ink stains
from fabrics. It also serves as a body deodorant. The fruits may
be crushed with the saponaceous bark of Entada Phaseoloides Merr. for shampooing
the hair, or the fruit juice applied to the scalp after shampooing. It
eliminates itching and promotes hair growth. Rubbing calamondin juice on
insect bites banishes the itching and irritation. It bleaches freckles
and helps to clear up acne vulgaris and pruritus vulvae. It is taken orally
as a cough remedy and antiphlogistic. Slightly diluted and drunk warm,
it serves as a laxative. Combined with pepper, it is prescribed in Malaya
to expel phlegm. The root enters into a treatment given at childbirth.
The distilled oil of the leaves serves as a carminative with more potency
than peppermint oil. The volatile oil content of the leaves is 0.90% to
1.06%. The chemistry of the calamondin has received only moderate
attention. Mustard found the ascorbic acid content of the whole fruit to
be, 88.4-111.3 mg/100 g; of the juice, 30-31.5 mg; and of the peel, 130-173.9
mg.
taken in early times to Indonesia and the Philippines. It became the most important Citrus juice source in the Philippine Islands and is widely grown in India and throughout southern Asia and Malaysia. It is a common ornamental dooryard tree in Hawaii, the Bahamas, some islands of the West Indies, and parts of Central America. Dr. David Fairchild introduced it into Florida from Panama in 1899. It quickly became popular in Florida and Texas. The California climate is not as favorable but a variegated form ('Peters') is cultivated there.
The calamondin is as cold-hardy as the Satsuma orange and can be grown all along the Gulf Coast of the southern United States. It is moderately drought-tolerant. Calamondin trees may be easily grown from seeds, which are polyembryonic with 3 to 5 embryos each. For commercial fruit production in the Philippines, the trees are budded onto calamondin seedlings. In Florida, propagation by cuttings rooted under constant mist is the more common commercial procedure for pot culture. Even leaf-cuttings will root readily. Plants grown from cuttings fruit during the rooting period and will reach 18 to 24 in (45-60 cm) in height in 10 1/2 months. The flowers are self-fertile and require no cross-pollination. Transplanted into a large container and well cared for, a calamondin will grow at the rate of 1 ft (30 cm) per year; will produce an abundant crop of fruit at the age of 2 years and will continue to bear the year around. Potted plants for shipment can be stored in the dark for 2 weeks at 53.6º F (12º C) without loss of leaves or fruits in storage or in subsequent transit and marketing. In orchard plantings, Philippine workers have established that a complete commercial fertilizer with a 1:1 nitrogen to potassium ratio gives the best growth. There are 2 applications: one prior to the onset of the rainy season and the second just before the cessation of rains. Adequate moisture is the principal factor in yield, size and quality of the fruit. Drought and dehydrating winds often lead to mesophyll collapse.
Calamondin halves or quarters may be served with iced tea, seafood and
meats, to be squeezed for the acid juice. They were
commonly so used in Florida before limes became plentiful. Some people
boil the sliced fruits with cranberries to make a tart
sauce. Calamondins are also preserved whole in sugar sirup, or made
into sweet pickles, or marmalade. A superior marmalade
is made by using equal quantities of calamondins and kumquats. In Hawaii,
a calamondin-papaya marmalade is popular. In
Malaya, the calamondin is an ingredient in chutney. Whole fruits, fried
in coconut oil with various seasonings, are eaten with
curry. The preserved peel is added as flavoring to other fruits stewed
or preserved. The juice is primarily valued for making acid beverages.
It is often employed like lime or lemon juice to make gelatin salads or
desserts, custard pie or chiffon pie. In the Philippines, the extracted
juice, with the addition of gum tragacanth as an emulsifier, is pasteurized
and bottled commercially. This product must be stored at low temperature
to keep well. Pectin is recovered from the peel as a by-product of juice
production. The fruit juice is used in the Philippines to bleach ink stains
from fabrics. It also serves as a body deodorant. The fruits may
be crushed with the saponaceous bark of Entada Phaseoloides Merr. for shampooing
the hair, or the fruit juice applied to the scalp after shampooing. It
eliminates itching and promotes hair growth. Rubbing calamondin juice on
insect bites banishes the itching and irritation. It bleaches freckles
and helps to clear up acne vulgaris and pruritus vulvae. It is taken orally
as a cough remedy and antiphlogistic. Slightly diluted and drunk warm,
it serves as a laxative. Combined with pepper, it is prescribed in Malaya
to expel phlegm. The root enters into a treatment given at childbirth.
The distilled oil of the leaves serves as a carminative with more potency
than peppermint oil. The volatile oil content of the leaves is 0.90% to
1.06%. The chemistry of the calamondin has received only moderate
attention. Mustard found the ascorbic acid content of the whole fruit to
be, 88.4-111.3 mg/100 g; of the juice, 30-31.5 mg; and of the peel, 130-173.9
mg.