The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1884-07-09
CHAPTER II.

CHAPTER II.
ART. II.-Order of divisions tolloued by
Nature-First Dicision-,Second dici-
sion-Characteristi features achich de-
termine them.
These principles fixed, it is easy to
classify in natural order the Citrus
family Of Europe. Nature, which never
proceeds by leaps, but always gradually
and insensibly in her operations, has
commenced by dividing this genus into
two sections, of which one is formed by
the citron and the other by the orange.
She has marked these two species by
several pronounced and constant char
acteristics, which form their physiogno-
my.
The citron tree has always a leaf with
linear petiole, scion or young shoot
of violet red, flowers partly hermaph-
rodite and partly dincious, the corolla
white within and shaded with violet red
without, stamens to the number of thirty
or forty, the fruit oblong, yellowish,
with tender peel, adhering to the pulp.
The orange tree on the contrary, has
constantly leaf with winged petiole,
the scion of whitish green, the flower
hermaphrodite, with an entirely white
corolla, and stamens to the number of
twenty, the fruit round, golden, and
having peel entirely cottony or downy,
and not at all adherent to the pulp.
But this first division was not suffi-
GENTLY adapted to the infinite combina
tions with which Nature wished to en-
rich this beautiful genus. She has,
therefore, subdivided these two species
into as many sub-species, which have
also received their character from the
- Nd, 41x,
equally invariable.
The citron has been divided into the
cedrat and the lemon. The orange has
been divided into the orange and the
bigarade.
The cedrat tree has been distin-
gtished bys short and stiff branches,
green and oblong leaves, whose petiole
is smooth and continuous, with the CEN
-tral vein which divides them, and by its
oblong fruit, formed of a thick, tender,
and aromatic peel.
The lemon tree, on the contrary, bears
long, plant, and flexible branches, with
large and yellowish leaves, whose petiole
is raised on the side by a kind of jutting
out, and articulated at the point of its
union with the disk of the leaf; it bears
fruit with smooth, thin, and bitter peel,
and an abundant pulp, full of an acid
but agreeable and piquant (sharp) juice.
The sweet orange differs from the BIZ
garade by it's appearance or bearing,
which. is more. vigorous, by its flower,
which has less aroma, and by its fruit,
whose peel, which is thin, contains a
more feeble essential oil, and whose
pulp is full of sweet and agreeable
Juice A less majestic bearing, an intin-
itely more odoriferous flower, and fruit
whose peel possesses bitter and piquant
aroma, mingled also with the acidity of
of the pulp, are the distinctive charac-,
istics of the bigarade tree.
These four species have been the ele-
ments for forming all the races we now
possess. They have been subdivided
into various generations, which have
been modified by fecundation without
altering the characteristics of the spe-
cies, and have given rise to varieties.
They have been subsequently crossed
among themselves in a great number of
different proportions, and have given
birth to hybrids which are as numerous
as the gradations or variations of which
these combinations are susceptible.
Nevertheless, all these different races
always, by their peculiarities, announce
either one or several of these types, and
we find everywhere either their isolated
VI tIlC IutIh VI bllC ICulIlOh VI
several of them.
We will commence by giving repre-
sentation of the species.
THE CITRON TREE.
The citron tree is an arboreseent plant
1t does not bend like the lemon tree.
It's branches are short and stiff. Its
leaves are violet at first, but afterwards
green, alternate, simple, Oblong, dentate,
and sprinkled with an infinite number
of little points, which are so many vesi-
cles containing the aroma. The petioles
are nude, and only continuation of the
central vein of the leaf. The bud is large,
conical, and guarded by solitary spine.
1t puts forth, during almost the whole
year, flowers in boquets or clusters, each
borne on pedicel resting on peduncle,
sometimes axillary, but regularly termi-
nal and multiflorous. The flowers, in
part hermaphrodite and partly diGcious,
are formed of monocephalous five
+ Dointed calyx, which contains corolla
whose petals, five in number, are en-
larged at the base, inserted around by