ORNAMENTAL CITRUS PLANTS
With the rise of the Medici family, citrus plants began to be cultivated in Florence in the 16th century. The rarest and strangest varieties became the pride of aristocratic collections, and from Florence the fashion for citrus plants spread through all the European courts. Throughout the 17th century the Medici's citrus plants continued to attract interest, as shown in the paintings of the Medici painter Bartolomeo Bimbi, whose paintings portrayed the beauty of these fruits and the uses the Florentine nobility made of them. At that time, lemons, oranges, citron and bergamot were mainly ornamental, but they were also used for medicinal and nutritional purposes. The collection of Medici citruses has survived to the present day, despite the many events that took place through the centuries, and is preserved in Florence, in the garden of the Villa Medicea di Castello and the Boboli Gardens. This collection is of particular botanical and historical interest and consists of about a thousand potted plants, large and small, old and young, but in all cases extremely valuable, as they are all descendents of the Medici cultivars.

SPECIES AND CULTIVARS
Citrus plants belong to the Rutaceae family, a sub-family of the Aurantioideae, and are divided into various genuses. The most interesting for cultivation are:

THE CITRUS GENUS which includes the most important and best known species (lemon, orange, citron, grapefruit, etc.)

• CITRUS LIMON "limone femminello a zagara bianca o fiori d'arancio"
This is a mutation of the Femminello comune, known since ancient times, which is the most commonly-found cultivar in Sicily. This highly productive variety differs from others in the colour of its flowers, which are white, and the young buds, which are light green like those on the orange plant - instead of the more typical purply colour. The plant is fairly vigorous, the branches are sometimes spiny and the leaves are oval in shape with slightly rounded tips. The fruit is of average size, oval with a rounded base and thick, pale yellow peel. If the temperature drops a great deal in winter the plant tends to lose its leaves.

• CITRUS AURANTIUM "L.Corniculata"
An old cultivar known in Italy in the 17th century. It has the same morphological characteristics as the Seville orange, from which it differs in that it is less rigidly assurgent, and more especially in the presence of protuberances on the fruit which look a little like "horns", hence the name of the cultivar. This plant produces abundant fruit, and the peel is a good deep orange colour when ripe.



THE FORTUNELLA GENUS (which includes kumquats)
• FORTUNELLA OBOVATA "Hort. Ex Tan."
his plant has ancient Chinese origins. Its characteristics are similar to Fortunella margarita, but it is sturdier with larger leaves and fruits, which have a more acidic flavour. It is a popular ornamental plant but is not suited to humid areas as it is susceptible to attacks from phytophthora. It tends to produce suckers with long thorns.




THE PONCIRUS GENUS genus which has a single species (the only deciduous citrus plant).
• PONCIRUS TRIFOLIATA "L. Raf."
Originally from northern and central China, this is the only deciduous citrus plant and it is highly tolerant to cold weather. It is a medium-sized, thorny plant with a bushy, irregular appearance. The deciduous leaves are trifoliate, i.e. formed by three small leaves, the largest in the centre. The medium-sized flowers grow singly and the fruits are small, spherical, yellow when ripe, and have an unpleasant flavour. The plant is of ornamental interest but is also suited for creating impenetrable hedges thanks to its long thorns and abundant, well-developed branches. It can be reproduced from seed. This species is often used as a rootstock, as it adapts well to cultivation in pots, due both to its fasciculate roots, which tend to grow superficially, and its dwarfing effect on the domestic plant, which returns more quickly to production with improved quality of fruits.
For a list of cultivars belonging to the various species, especially the Citrus genus, please refer to our book: "GLI AGRUMI ORNAMENTALI" which lists and reviews all the cultivars to enable citrus enthusiasts to choose their plants according to specific criteria, with more detailed knowledge of their morphological features…almost like collectors.