Fructus aurantii in green

Fructus aurantii in green

FructusPoniciriTrifoliataeImmaturus

Imaturetrifoliate orange fruit

[alias] citron, smelly citron, trifoliate orange, citron plum.

[source] it is the fruit of poncirustrifoliata (L.) RAF.

[plant morphology] deciduous shrub or small tree, glabrous. It has many branches, the branchlets are flat and compressed, and the stems and branches have axillary thick spines, 1-5cm long. The leaves are alternate, triple compound and winged; the terminal leaflets are obovate or elliptic, 1.5-6cm long and 0.7-3cm wide; the lateral ones are open and fragrant; the sepals are 5, ovate triangle; the petals are 5, obovate spoon shaped. The fruit is globose, 2-5cm in diameter, orange yellow, densely pubescent, with many oil glands and fragrance. The flowering period is April to May and the fruit period is July to October.

It is planted in roadside and garden as hedgerow. It is mainly produced in Fujian.

[picking] in summer and autumn, pick up the young fruits that fall off naturally on the ground and dry them in the sun; for the slightly larger ones, cut them in half from the middle and dry them in the sun.

[character] the fruit is spherical or hemispherical (crosscut), 2-3cm in diameter. The outer surface is grayish green or greenish yellow, with slightly raised wrinkles and pubescence. In the transverse section, the pericarp is 3-5mm thick, the marginal oil spots are 1-2 rows, the pulp sac is 5-7 petals, and the middle axis is 2-5mm wide. It is fragrant and slightly bitter.

[chemical constituents] it contains poncirin, naringin, citrifolioside, poncimarin, isoponcimarin, etc.

Cold in nature and bitter in taste.

[function indications] Xingqi Kuanzhong, Xiaoshi, Huatan. It is used for chest and abdomen fullness and pain, indigestion, phlegm and gastroptosis.