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{{Short description|Citrus fruit from Southeast Asia}}
{{good article}}
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{{Speciesbox
|name          = Pomelo
|image         = Pomelo fruit.jpg
|image2        = 
|status        = LC
|status_system = IUCN3.1
|status_ref    = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). |author2=IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group |date=2019 |title=''Citrus maxima'' |volume=2019 |article-number=e.T62042732A147027490 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T62042732A147027490.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
|genus         = Citrus
|species       = maxima
|authority     = ([[Johannes Burman|Burm.]]) [[Elmer Drew Merrill|Merr.]]
}}

The '''pomelo''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ɒ|m|ɪ|l|oʊ|,_|ˈ|p|ʌ|m|-}} {{respell|POM|il|oh|,_|PUM|-}};<ref>{{cite book |title=The Chambers Dictionary |publisher=Chambers |year=2003 |isbn=0-550-10105-5 |edition=9th |chapter=pomelo}}</ref><ref>{{cite Merriam-Webster |pomelo |access-date=2021-01-25}}</ref> or '''pummelo''', '''''Citrus maxima'''''), also known as a '''shaddock''', is the largest [[citrus]] fruit. It is an ancestor of several cultivated citrus species, including the [[bitter orange]] and the [[grapefruit]]. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fruit, native to [[Southeast Asia]]. Similar in taste to a sweet grapefruit, the pomelo is commonly eaten and used for festive occasions throughout Southeast and East Asia. As with the grapefruit, [[phytochemical]]s in the pomelo have the [[Grapefruit–drug interactions|potential for drug interactions]].

== Description ==
The pomelo tree can be {{convert|16|–|50|ft|m|0|order=flip|abbr=off|sp=us}} tall, with a trunk, often rather crooked, that is {{convert|4|–|12|in|cm|0|order=flip|abbr=off|sp=us}} thick, and low-hanging, irregular branches. The [[Petiole (botany)|petioles]] (leaf stalks) are distinctly winged. The leaves are alternate, [[Glossary of botanical terms#ovate|ovate]] or [[Glossary of botanical terms#E|elliptic]] in shape, and {{cvt|2|–|8|in|cm|0|order=flip}} long; they are leathery and dull green above, hairy beneath. The flowers – single or in clusters – are fragrant and yellow-white in color.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/>

The fruit is large, {{cvt|10|–|30|cm|in|frac=2}} in diameter, round or somewhat pear-shaped.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/> Its weight varies by [[cultivar]] from {{convert|0.26|-|1.95|kg|lb|1|abbr=off|sp=us}}.<ref name="Pan Ali Gong 2021">{{cite journal |last1=Pan |first1=Tengfei |last2=Ali |first2=Muhammad Moaaz |last3=Gong |first3=Jiangmei |last4=She |first4=Wenqin |last5=Pan |first5=Dongming |last6=Guo |first6=Zhixiong |last7=Yu |first7=Yuan |last8=Chen |first8=Faxing |title=Fruit Physiology and Sugar-Acid Profile of 24 Pomelo (Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck) Cultivars Grown in Subtropical Region of China |journal=Agronomy |volume=11 |issue=12 |date=2021-11-24 |issn=2073-4395 |doi=10.3390/agronomy11122393 |doi-access=free |page=2393|bibcode=2021Agron..11.2393P }}</ref> It has a thicker [[peel (fruit)|rind]] than a grapefruit, and is divided into 11 to 18 segments.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo">{{cite web |last=Morton |first=Julia F. |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/pummelo.html |title=Pummelo: ''Citrus maxima''| pages=147–151 |work=Fruits of warm climates |publisher=NewCROP, New Crop Resource Online Program, Center for New Crops and Plant Products, Purdue University |date=1987 |access-date=2020-01-31 }}</ref> The flesh is less acidic than that of the grapefruit.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/><ref name="Morton 1987 grapefruit">{{cite web |first=Julia F. |last=Morton |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/grapefruit.html |title=Grapefruit: ''Citrus paradisi'' |pages=152–158 |work=Fruits of warm climates |publisher=NewCROP, New Crop Resource Online Program, Center for New Crops and Plant Products, Purdue University |date=1987 |access-date=2020-01-31 }}</ref>

The pomelo has at least sixty cultivars.<ref name="Jeanne Kelley">{{cite news |last=Kelley |first=Jeanne |title=Pomelos, grapefruit's sweeter and mellower relative, have a wealth of flavor |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=2016-02-13 |url=https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-pomelo-20160213-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160212231651/https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-pomelo-20160213-story.html |archive-date=2016-02-12 |access-date=2021-11-19 }}</ref> The fruit generally contains a few, relatively large seeds, but some varieties have numerous seeds.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/> The characteristics of pomelo vary widely across South Asia.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/>

The pomelo is native to [[Southeast Asia]] and all of Malaysia.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo" /> The tree may have been introduced to [[China]] around 100 BCE, and is now heavily cultivated in [[Southern China]].<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo" /> Seeds of the tree were first brought to the [[Americas]] in the late 1600s.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo" />

<gallery mode=packed>
File:Pomelo seedling.jpg|Seedling
File:Pomelo flower.jpg|Flowers
File:Bưởi.jpg|Tree
File:Citrus grandis - Honey White.jpg|Fruit
</gallery>

== History ==

=== Ancestral ''Citrus'' species ===

{{see also|Citrus taxonomy}}

[[File:Pummelo or Pamplemousse (Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.); flowe Wellcome V0042686.jpg|thumb|upright|Flowering and fruiting branch, [[Chromolithography|chromolithograph]] by P. Depannemaeker, c. 1885]]

The pomelo is significant botanically as one of the three major wild ancestors of several cultivated [[hybrid (biology)|hybrid]] ''[[Citrus]]'' species, including the [[bitter orange]] and the [[grapefruit]]; and less directly also of the [[lemon]], the [[orange (fruit)|sweet orange]], and some types of [[mandarin orange|mandarin]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Klein |first=Joshua D. |volume=2 |pages=199–214 |doi=10.1007/978-94-017-9276-9_10 |series=Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World |year=2014 |title=Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the Middle-East |isbn=978-94-017-9275-2 |chapter=Citron Cultivation, Production and Uses in the Mediterranean Region}}</ref><ref name="Wu Terol Ibanez 2018">{{cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Guohong Albert |last2=Terol |first2=Javier |last3=Ibanez |first3=Victoria |last4=López-García |first4=Antonio |last5=Pérez-Román |first5=Estela |last6=Borredá |first6=Carles |last7=Domingo |first7=Concha |last8=Tadeo |first8=Francisco R. |last9=Carbonell-Caballero |first9=Jose |last10=Alonso |first10=Roberto |last11=Curk |first11=Franck |last12=Du |first12=Dongliang |last13=Ollitrault |first13=Patrick |last14=Roose |first14=Mikeal L. Roose |last15=Dopazo |first15=Joaquin |last16=Gmitter Jr |first16=Frederick G. |last17=Rokhsar |first17=Daniel |last18=Talon |first18=Manuel |display-authors=5 |title=Genomics of the origin and evolution of ''Citrus'' |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |year=2018 |volume=554 |issue=7692 |pages=311–316 |doi=10.1038/nature25447 |pmid=29414943 |bibcode=2018Natur.554..311W |doi-access=free |hdl=20.500.11939/5741 |hdl-access=free}} and Supplement</ref> 
The bitter orange is a naturally occurring hybrid between the pomelo and the [[Mandarin orange|mandarin]].<ref name="Wu Terol Ibanez 2018"/> The grapefruit is a hybrid between a pomelo and a sweet orange,<ref name="Wu Terol Ibanez 2018"/> which is why 63% of the grapefruit's genome comes from the pomelo.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/aop/article-10.21273-HORTTECH04679-20/article-10.21273-HORTTECH04679-20.xml |title=Grapefruit: History, Use, and Breeding in: HortTechnology Volume 31 Issue 3 (2021) |journal=Horttechnology |publisher=Journals.ashs.org |date=June 2021|volume=31 |issue=3 |pages=243–258 |doi=10.21273/HORTTECH04679-20 |access-date=2022-05-01 |last1=Louzada |first1=Eliezer S. |last2=Ramadugu |first2=Chandrika |doi-access=free }}</ref> The bitter orange is a hybrid of wild type mandarin and pomelo; in turn, the lemon is a hybrid of bitter orange and [[citron]], i.e. cultivated lemons have some pomelo ancestry.<ref name="Wu Terol Ibanez 2018"/> In addition, there has been repeated introgression of pomelo genes into both early cultivated hybrid mandarins and later mandarin varieties, these last also involving hybridization with the sweet orange. Pomelo genes are thus included in many types of cultivated ''Citrus''.<ref name="Wu Terol Ibanez 2018"/>

[[File:Hybrid origins of Citrus.svg|thumb|center|500px|upright=3|The pomelo is one of the wild ancestors of cultivated ''[[Citrus]]'' species including the [[bitter orange]] and the [[grapefruit]], and less directly also of the [[lemon]], the [[orange (fruit)|sweet orange]], and some types of [[mandarin orange|mandarin]].<ref name="Wu Terol Ibanez 2018"/>]]

=== Etymology ===

According to the [[Oxford English Dictionary]], the etymology of the word 'pomelo' is uncertain.<ref>{{Cite OED|pomelo|id=147483}}</ref> It may be derived from Dutch {{lang|nl|pompelmoes}}.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/> The Dutch name in turn has uncertain etymology, but is possibly derived from Dutch {{lang|nl|pompel}} 'swollen' or {{lang|nl|pompoen}} 'pumpkin', combined with {{lang|nl|limoes}} 'lemon, citrus fruit', influenced by Portuguese {{lang|pt|limões}} with the same meaning.<ref name="Etym NL"/> An alternative possibility is that the Dutch name derives from Portuguese {{lang|pt|pomos limões}} 'citrus fruit'.<ref name="Etym NL">{{cite web |title=pompelmoes - (grote citrusvrucht (Citrus maxima)) |url=https://etymologiebank.nl/trefwoord/pompelmoes |website=Etymologiebank.nl |access-date=1 November 2024}}</ref>
The [[Specific name (botany)|specific name]] ''maxima'' is the female form of the Latin for 'biggest'.<ref>{{cite web |title=maximus |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/maximus |publisher=Cambridge Dictionary |access-date=28 October 2024}}</ref> 

One theory for the alternative English name 'shaddock' is that it was adopted after the plant's introduction into [[Barbados]] by a 'Captain Shaddock' of the [[East India Company]] (apparently Philip Chaddock, who visited the island in the late 1640s).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kumamoto |first1=J. |last2=Scora |first2=R.W. |last3=Lawton |first3=H.W. |last4=Clerx |first4=W.A. |title=Mystery of the Forbidden Fruit: Historical Epilogue on the Origin of the Grapefruit, ''Citrus paradisi'' (Rutaceae) |journal=Economic Botany |year=1987 |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=97–107 |doi=10.1007/BF02859356 |bibcode=1987EcBot..41...97K |s2cid=42178548 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.itfnet.org/v1/2013/03/2406/ |title=Pomelo: The 'lucky' giant citrus |date=21 March 2013}}</ref> From there the name spread to [[Jamaica]] in 1696.<ref name=AHD>[[American Heritage Dictionary]], 1973.</ref>

=== Taxonomy ===

In his ''[[Herbarium Amboinense]]'', published posthumously in 1741, [[Georg Eberhard Rumphius]] named it ''Limo decumanus''.<ref name="Merrill 1917"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Rumphius |first=Georg Eberhard |author-link=Georg Eberhard Rumphius |title=Herbarium Amboinense |date=1741 |page=96 |volume=2}}</ref>
In 1753, [[Carl Linnaeus]] mentioned the plant as a subspecies, ''Citrus aurantium var grandis''.<ref name="Merrill 1917"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Linnaeus |first=Carl |author-link=Carl Linnaeus |title=[[Species Plantarum|Species plantarum]] |date=1753 |page=783}}</ref> In 1755, [[Johannes Burman]] validly described the species from the [[type specimen]], giving it the name ''Aurantium maximum'', now considered a [[basionym]].<ref name="AGB"/> In 1757, [[Pehr Osbeck]] named it ''Citrus grandis''.<ref name="Merrill 1917"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Osbeck |first=Pehr |author-link=Pehr Osbeck |title=Dagbok öfwer en ostindisk Resa åren 1750 |language=sv |trans-title=Diary of an East Indian Journey in the Year 1750 |date=1757 |page=98}}</ref> Linnaeus revisited the taxonomy in 1767, renaming the species as ''Citrus decumana''.<ref name="Merrill 1917"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Linnaeus |first=Carl |author-link=Carl Linnaeus |title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae |title-link=Systema naturae |date=1767 |page=508 |chapter=12}}</ref> In 1917, [[Elmer Drew Merrill]] revised and renamed it ''Citrus maxima''.<ref name="AGB">{{cite web |title=Taxon: Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr. |url=https://agb.amvmt.lt/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=10744 |website=Augalų Genų Bankas GRIN-Global |access-date=1 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="Merrill 1917">{{cite book |last=Merrill |first=Elmer Drew |author-link=Elmer Drew Merrill |title=An interpretation of Rumphius's Herbarium amboinense |date=1917 |publisher=Bureau of printing |location=Manila, Philippines |page=296 |url=https://archive.org/details/interpretationof00merr}}</ref> [[Aurantioideae]] remains as a subfamily.<ref name="EPPO">{{cite web |title=Citrus maxima (CIDGR) |url=https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/CIDGR |website=EPPO Global Database |access-date=1 March 2025}}</ref>

== As food ==

=== Nutrition ===

{{nutritional value
| name     = Pomelo, raw
| image    = Pomelo flesh.jpg
| caption  = Flesh of a pomelo
| kJ=159
| protein  = 0.76 g
| fat      = 0.04 g
| carbs    = 9.62 g
| fiber    = 1 g
| iron_mg  = 0.11
| magnesium_mg = 6
| phosphorus_mg= 17
| potassium_mg = 216
| sodium_mg    = 1
| zinc_mg      = 0.08
| manganese_mg = 0.017
| vitC_mg      = 61
| thiamin_mg   = 0.034
| riboflavin_mg= 0.027
| niacin_mg    = 0.22
| vitB6_mg     = 0.036
| water=89 g
| source_usda  = 1
| note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/167754/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]
}}

Raw pomelo flesh is 89% water, 10% [[carbohydrate]]s, 1% [[protein (nutrient)|protein]], and contains negligible [[fat]]. A 100-gram reference amount provides {{convert|159|kJ|kcal|abbr=off}} of [[food energy]], and is rich in [[vitamin C]] (68% of the [[Daily Value]]), with no other [[micronutrient]]s in significant content (table).

=== Culinary ===

The flesh and juice are edible, and the peel may be candied.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/> It is eaten as a dessert, or used in salads.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/> In the Philippines, a pink beverage is made from pomelo and [[pineapple juice]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hargreaves |first1=Dorothy |last2=Hargreaves |first2=Bob |title=Tropical Trees of the Pacific |year=1970 |publisher=Hargreaves |location=Kailua, Hawaii |page=51}}</ref>

In East Asia, especially in [[Cantonese cuisine]], braised pomelo pith is used to make dishes that are high in fibre and low in fat.<ref>{{cite web |title=Braised pomelo pith |url=https://www.weekinchina.com/2017/12/braised-pomelo-pith/ |website=Week in China |access-date=22 August 2020 |date=8 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125234152/https://www.weekinchina.com/2017/12/braised-pomelo-pith/ |archive-date=2021-01-25 }}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=180 heights=180>
File:Pomelos for sale, Tapah.jpg|[[Ipoh]] pomelos on sale in Malaysia
File:Tam som-o nam pu.JPG|''Tam som-o nam pu'': spicy Thai pomelo salad with crab extract
</gallery>

=== Drug interactions ===

{{Main|Grapefruit–drug interactions}}

The pomelo, while not itself toxic, can cause adverse interactions similar to those caused by the grapefruit with a wide range of [[prescription drug]]s. These occur by the inhibition of [[cytochrome P450]]-mediated metabolism of prescription drugs including for example some [[anti-hypertensive]]s, some [[anticoagulant]]s, some [[anticancer agents]], some [[anti-infective agent]]s, some [[statin]]s, and some [[immunosuppressant]]s.<ref name="Bailey">{{cite journal |last1=Bailey |first1=D. G. |last2=Dresser |first2=G. |last3=Arnold |first3=J. M. O. |title=Grapefruit-medication interactions: Forbidden fruit or avoidable consequences? |journal=[[Canadian Medical Association Journal]] |volume=185 |issue=4 |date=26 November 2012 |doi=10.1503/cmaj.120951 |pages=309–316 |pmc=3589309 |pmid=23184849}}</ref>

== Cultivation ==

The seeds of the pomelo are [[monoembryonic]], producing seedlings with genes from both parents, so they do not breed true to type.<ref name="ITFN"/> However, they are usually fairly similar to the tree they grow from and therefore in Asia, pomelos are typically grown from seed.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/> Seeds can be stored for 80 days at a temperature of {{convert|41|F|C|order=flip|abbr=on}} with moderate relative humidity.<ref name="Morton 1987 pummelo"/> Pomelos can be [[Vegetative reproduction|propagated vegetatively]] by [[air-layering]], by taking cuttings, by [[grafting]], by [[shield budding]], or by [[tissue culture]].<ref name="ITFN">{{cite web |title=[Pomelo] Propagation |url=http://www.itfnet.org/contents/fruit/fruitInfo/html/trdLevel2043.html |publisher=International Tropical Fruits Network |access-date=24 March 2025}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=180 heights=180>
File:Xiancun - pomelo orchards - DSCF4064.JPG|Pomelos in [[Pinghe County]], [[Fujian]]
File:Vườn bưởi.jpg|Orchard in Vietnam
</gallery>

== In culture ==

The pomelo is used in cultural and spiritual festivals across Asia. In China, during the [[Chinese New Year|Lunar New Year]] festival, the fruit is offered to ancestors. Its name is similar to the word for "to have" (有, yǒu),  making it a symbol of prosperity and family unity.<ref>{{cite web |last=Guri |first=Catohrinner Joyce |date=2015-09-27 |title=Significance of pomelo for Chinese people |url=https://asianitinerary.com/significance-of-pomelo-for-chinese-people/ |access-date=2025-02-04 |website=Asian Itinerary}}</ref> In Thailand, pomelo is used in rituals such as the [[Songkran festival]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Svasti |first=Pichaya |date=2013-08-15 |title=Pomelo festival in Samut Songkhram |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/travel/364710/pomelo-festival-in-samut-songkhram |access-date=2025-02-04 |work=[[Bangkok Post]] |language=en}}</ref> In the Hindu festival of [[Chhath Puja]], pomelo is used as an offering.<ref>{{cite news |last=Yadav |first=Shikha |title=Markets bloom with traditional offerings |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/chhath-puja-2024-discover-traditional-offerings-and-festive-rituals-in-ranchis-markets/articleshow/115032350.cms |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=November 7, 2024}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=220 heights=180>
File:Chhat Puja with Pomelo.jpg|[[Chhat Puja]] with pomelo, India
</gallery>

== References ==

{{reflist}}

{{Citrus}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q80024}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Citrus]]
[[Category:Flora of tropical Asia]]
[[Category:Fruit trees]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1755]]
[[Category:Austronesian agriculture]]