Ugli fruit

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An ugli fruit is a citrus fruit created by hybridizing a grapefruit (or pomelo according to some sources) and a tangerine^{[citation needed]}. Its species is Citrus reticulata x Citrus paradisi.

It was discovered growing wild in Jamaica where it's mainly grown today. Its name derives from the unsightly appearance of its rough, wrinkled, greenish-yellow skin, wrapped loosely around the orange pulpy citrus inside. The light green surface blemishes turn orange when the fruit is at its peak ripeness. An ugli fruit is slightly smaller than a grapefruit and has fewer seeds. The flesh is very juicy and tends towards the sweet side of the tangerine rather than the bitter side of its grapefruit lineage, with a fragrant skin. The fruit is seasonal from December to April. It is distributed in the USA, UK and Europe between November and April, and is on occasion available from July to September.

Americans pronounce the name "ugly," but in Jamaica, where it is grown, its name is pronounced /ˈhu.ɡli/.

The fruit is also described as an exotic tangelo. Ugli fruit are sold under two different brand names: Uniq Fruit which is a registered trademark of Brooks Tropicals, LLC. and UGLI which is a registered trademark of Cabel Hall Citrus Ltd.

[edit] External links

• Brooks Tropicals website about the fruit, part of their corporate website
• Cabel Hall Citrus Ltd's website about the fruit