Editing Citrus (section)

== History ==

The earliest introductions of citrus species by human migrations was during the [[Austronesian expansion]] ({{circa|3000}}–1500 BCE), where ''[[Citrus hystrix]]'', ''[[Citrus macroptera]]'', and ''[[Citrus maxima]]'' were among the [[Domesticated plants and animals of Austronesia|canoe plants]] carried by [[Austronesian peoples|Austronesian]] voyagers eastwards into [[Micronesia]] and [[Polynesia]].<ref name="blench">{{cite journal |last1=Blench |first1=R.M. |title=Fruits and arboriculture in the Indo Pacific region |journal=Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association |date=2005 |volume=24 |pages=31–50 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255579031}}</ref>

The citron (''[[Citrus medica]]'') was also introduced early into the Mediterranean basin from India and Southeast Asia. It was introduced via two ancient trade routes: an overland route through [[Persia]], the [[Levant]] and the Mediterranean islands; and a maritime route through the [[Arabian Peninsula]] and [[Ptolemaic Egypt]] into North Africa. Although the exact date of the original introduction is unknown due to the sparseness of archaeobotanical remains, the earliest evidence are seeds recovered from the [[Hala Sultan Tekke]] site of [[Cyprus]], dated to around 1200 BCE. Other archaeobotanical evidence includes pollen from [[Carthage]] dating back to the 4th century BCE; and carbonized seeds from [[Pompeii]] dated to around the 3rd to 2nd century BCE. The earliest complete description of the citron was written by [[Theophrastus]], {{circa|310 BCE}}.<ref name="Zech-Matterne"/><ref name="langgut"/><ref name="langgut2"/> 

Lemons, pomelos, and sour oranges were introduced to the Mediterranean by Arab traders around the 10th century CE. Sweet oranges were brought to Europe by the [[Republic of Genoa|Genoese]] and [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] from Asia during the 15th to 16th century. Mandarins were not introduced until the 19th century.<ref name="Zech-Matterne">{{cite book |first2=Girolamo |last2=Fiorentino |first1=Véronique |last1=Zech-Matterne |first3=Sylvie |last3=Coubray |first4=François |last4=Luro|editor1-first=Véronique |editor1-last=Zech-Matterne|editor2-first=Girolamo|editor2-last=Fiorentino |title=AGRUMED: Archaeology and history of citrus fruit in the Mediterranean: Acclimatization, diversification, uses |chapter=Introduction |publisher=Publications du Centre Jean Bérard |year=2017 |isbn=9782918887775|chapter-url =https://books.openedition.org/pcjb/2240}}</ref><ref name= "langgut">{{cite journal |last1=Langgut |first1=Dafna |title=The Citrus Route Revealed: From Southeast Asia into the Mediterranean |journal=HortScience |date=June 2017 |volume=52 |issue=6 |pages=814–822 |doi=10.21273/HORTSCI11023-16 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="langgut2">{{cite book |first1=Dafna |last1=Langgut |editor1-first=Véronique |editor1-last=Zech-Matterne |editor2-first=Girolamo |editor2-last=Fiorentino |title=AGRUMED: Archaeology and history of citrus fruit in the Mediterranean |chapter=The history of ''Citrus medica'' (citron) in the Near East: Botanical remains and ancient art and texts |publisher=Publications du Centre Jean Bérard |year=2017 |isbn=9782918887775 |chapter-url =https://books.openedition.org/pcjb/2184#text}}</ref> Oranges were introduced to Florida by Spanish colonists.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/docs/f/fruit.htm |title=Exploring Florida Documents: Fruit |website=fcit.usf.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.tytyga.com/History-of-the-Citrus-and-Citrus-Tree-Growing-in-America-a/381.htm |title=History of the Citrus and Citrus Tree Growing in America |website=www.tytyga.com}}</ref>  In cooler parts of Europe, citrus fruit was grown in [[orangery|orangeries]] starting in the 17th century; many were as much status symbols as functional agricultural structures.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Britz |first=Billie S. |title=Environmental Provisions for Plants in Seventeenth-Century Northern Europe |journal=The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians |volume=33 |issue=2 |date=May 1974 |pages=133–144|doi=10.2307/988906 |jstor=988906 }}</ref>