It is first described by the Portuguese botanist João de Loureiro in 1790, in his Flora cochinchinensis under the name Citrus margarita.[7][9] It is described again by the American botanist Walter Tennyson Swingle in 1915, as varieties of Citrus japonica.[10] However, recent phylogenetic analysis suggested that C. margarita is a single 'true' species.[1][2][7][11]
C. margarita grows 8–12 ft (2.4–3.7 m) tall. The branches do not have spines, unlike C. japonica. It has simple, alternate leaves, which are dark green above and have a leathery texture. They grow to about 10 cm (3.9 in) long. The flowers are white with 5 sepals and 5 petals and 16-20 stamens. The stigma is hollow and enlarged at the top.[12] The fruits of C. margarita are oblong, measuring 3 cm × 4 cm (1.2 in × 1.6 in).[8] They have 4-5 segments each.[13] The peel is sweet, while the flesh is sour.[14]
^Shaw, J. M. H. (2011). Cubey, H. Suzanne; Cullen, James; Knees, Sabina G. (eds.). The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants; A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass. Cambridge University Press. pp. 513–514. ISBN9780521761550.
^Khan, Iqrar Ahmad; Khan, Muhammad Sarwar (2021). Citrus; Research, Development and Biotechnology. IntechOpen. p. 34. ISBN9781839687235.
^Harrison, Marie (2009). Flowering Shrubs and Small Trees for the South. Pineapple Press. p. 32. ISBN9781561644391.
^Wiersema, John H.; León, Blanca (2016). World Economic Plants (2nd ed.). CRC Press. p. 309. ISBN9781466576810.
^Seidemann, Johannes (2005). World Spice Plants; Economic Usage, Botany, Taxonomy. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 159. ISBN9783540279082.
