Siamese, White Tassel (sec. Cottin 2002)
Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr. (sensu Mabberley 1997, Bayer et al. 2009; sensu Tanaka sec. Cottin 2002); Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck (sensu Swingle and Reece 1967)
Crown compact or dense, not weeping. First-year twig surface pubescent; second- or third-year twig surface striate; thorns straight; prickles absent or not persistent. Petiole pubescent, length long or very long; wings medium or wide, tucking beneath blade. Leaflets one, margin crenate/crenulate or bluntly toothed, shade leaflet blades flat or weakly conduplicate, sun leaflet blades flat or weakly or strongly conduplicate. Scent of crushed leaflets not scented. Fruit as broad as long or longer than broad; rind green-yellow (6), yellow (7-10), or yellow-orange (11); rind texture slightly rough (4-5) or medium rough (6-7); firmness leathery; navel absent; flesh yellow; taste grapefruit-like.
Hodgson (1967) provided the following additional notes on the cultivar:
"Fruit large, broadly pyriform with distinct neck; apex even or slightly depressed; seedy if open-pollinated but otherwise not (Soost, 1964). Lemon-yellow at maturity. Rind medium-thick; surface smooth, glossy; less tightly adherent than Kao Pan. Segments numerous and easily separable; carpellary membranes moderately thick and tough; axis small and solid. Vesicles large, easily separable, and firm but juicy. Flavor good (more acid than Kao Pan). Medium-late in maturity and holds well on tree with retention of quality.
Tree similar to Kao Pan, but somewhat more vigorous and upright."
Hodgson (1967) additionally noted that "Groff (1927) reports that Kao Phuang is recognized as one of the two best varieties in Thailand, some persons preferring it to the famous Kao Pan. In California, its flavor is clearly superior. In the collections at the University of California Citrus Research Center, Riverside, one of several clones received under the name Siamese is indistinguishable from Kao Phuang, and is probably identical."
Bayer, R.J., D.J. Mabberley, C. Morton, C.H. Miller, I.K. Sharma, B.E. Pfeil, S. Rich, R. Hitchcock, and S. Sykes. 2009. A molecular phylogeny of the orange subfamily (Rutaceae: Aurantioideae) using nine cpDNA sequences. American Journal of Botany 96: 668–685.
Cottin, R. 2002. Citrus of the World: A citrus directory. Version 2.0. France: SRA INRA-CIRAD.
Groff, G.W. 1927. Culture and varieties of Siamese pummelos as related to introductions into other countries. Lingnan Science Journal 5: 187–254.
Hodgson, R.W. 1967. Horticultural varieties of Citrus. In: Reuther, W., H.J. Webber, and L.D. Batchelor (eds.). The Citrus industry, rev. University of California Press. http://lib.ucr.edu/agnic/webber/Vol1/Chapter4.html.
Mabberley, D.J. 1997. A classification for edible Citrus (Rutaceae). Telopea 7: 167–172.
Swingle, W.T. and P.C. Reece. 1967. The botany of Citrus and its wild relatives. In: Reuther, W., H.J. Webber, and L.D. Batchelor (eds.). The Citrus industry. Ed. 2. Vol. I. University of California, Riverside. http://lib.ucr.edu/agnic/webber/Vol1/Chapter3.html.
Search for this cultivar in NCBI Entrez
Citrus ID Edition 2
October, 2011
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