What is the difference between citrus and fruit

Traditional herbal medicine practices have been known to utilize citrus fruits — like lemons and limes — for their medicinal benefits 3. Vitamin C — one of the main nutrients found in these citrus fruits — is well known for its antioxidant properties and plays a major role in sustaining a healthy immune system 4. Citrus fruits also contain many other plant compounds with known antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties 3. Multiple studies suggest that these compounds may play a role in preventing heart disease and certain types of cancer, including breast and colon cancer 3 , 5 , 6 , 7.

One study in mice observed that citric acid — a specific compound found in citrus fruits — has a protective effect against inflammation in the brain and liver 8. However, research on the potential medicinal and pharmacological benefits of lemons and limes is currently limited to animal and test-tube studies.

Ultimately, more research is needed to determine whether these fruits can effectively treat conditions in humans. Lemons and limes are similar in their nutritional makeup. They also contain many of the same plant compounds that may play a role in reducing inflammation and preventing certain diseases. Lemons are usually bright yellow, while limes are typically a bright shade of green.

However, certain types of limes will turn yellow as they ripen, making the distinction a little more difficult. Limes are also smaller and rounder than lemons.

They can vary in size but are usually 1—2 inches 3—6 centimeters in diameter. In comparison, lemons tend to be 2—4 inches 7—12 centimeters in diameter and have a more oval or oblong shape. In terms of flavor, these two citrus fruits are similar. However, lemons tend to err on the side of slightly sweet, whereas limes are usually more bitter.

Limes are sometimes described as being sourer than lemons, but this may have more to do with its bitterness. This perception also varies depending on your individual taste.

Lemons are typically sweeter and larger than limes, whereas limes are small and slightly more bitter. According to a study of the genome of the sweet orange, published in the scientific journal Nature Genetics , the fruit is likely a " hybrid between pummelo and mandarin.

These sweet oranges have been around for centuries, mentioned in ancient Chinese literature. Grapefruit, on the other hand, are kind of the newest citrus fruit on the block. They were only discovered in the Caribbean in the 18th century, and they are likely an accidental hybrid of pummelo with sweet orange.

The way grapefruit grow on a tree is also slightly different than the way oranges grow, and that's another easy way to tell them apart if you're lucky enough to be looking at citrus fruit on trees, of course. Grapefruit get their name in part because they grow in clusters, almost like grapes on a vine. Broke See All How To. See All Videos. Photo courtesy of foodrepublic. That email doesn't look right. Photo by Hannah Leverson. Photo courtesy of harvesttotable.

Although similar in appearance to mandarin oranges, they have a thinner skin and a more delicate flesh. Blood orange is a variety of orange with red colored flesh. You can tell a blood orange from a regular sweet orange by the red blushing on its orange skin and deep red flesh. These citrus fruits belong to the sweet orange classification and taste like raspberries. The red-colored juicy segments get their color from anthocyanins. These are a type of antioxidant that have many benefits and make blood oranges unique among all the citrus fruit varieties.

Although they look different from traditional sweet oranges, they are not a hybrid but a natural mutation. Lime is a green citrus fruit — there are many types of limes. Limes are green-colored citrus fruits that have a sour taste and are not as sweet as lemons. There are a number of types of limes with the Key lime and Persian lime varieties being the most common. Limes generally have green rind and greenish-yellow flesh. You can tell when limes are ripe because their skin turns yellowish.

Kaffir Limes are a popular type of lime in Asia. Kaffir limes are another green citrus fruit that has a sharp bitter taste. In Asian cuisine , the leaves of the Kaffir lime tree are used more often than the fruit. Kaffir lime leaves have a lemony-lime taste and add flavor to Thai, Indonesian, and other Asian dishes. Calamansi Limes Philippine limes are a small type of lime with orange-colored flesh. The Philippine lime looks like a traditional lime but it has orange-colored flesh that resembles a tangerine.

These small orange and green citrus fruits are also called calamondin or calamansi. The Philippine lime is a cross between a kumquat and a mandarin orange. The finger lime is an unusual type of lime with elongated shape and comes in a variety of colors. One of the most unusual of the green citrus fruits is the finger lime. This citrus fruit gets its name from the fact it is shaped like a finger. Another unusual feature of finger limes is that its juice vesicles are not tear-shaped like regular limes but look like small pearls.

This is why they are also called caviar limes. These citrusy fruits are a popular gourmet food with red, pink, and blue-green varieties being popular. Rangpur lime is a hybrid between citron fruit and mandarin orange.

Although called a lime, the Rangpur citrus fruit looks more like an orange or mandarin than a Persian lime. Rangpur limes have a sharp acidic taste similar to limes but their peel and flesh are orange like a tangerine. These orange limes are the result of crossing the citron and mandarin orange.