| Cam sành | |
|---|---|
| A cam sành tree | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Angiosperms |
| Class: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Rutaceae |
| Genus: | Citrus |
| Species: | C. reticulata × maxima |
| Binomial name | |
| Citrus reticulata × maxima |
|
The cam sành[1][2] (Vietnamese for "green orange"), Citrus reticulata × maxima)[1] is a cultivar of citrus fruit similar to an orange, originating in Vietnam. The fruit may be easily recognized by its thick skin, which is typically bright green[1] (because of which, it is sometimes referred to as a green orange), although the skin may also be partly green and partly orange, or entirely orange. Its flesh is orange, dark and sweet.[2]
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The fruit is a natural hybrid of Mandarin orange (C. reticulata or C. nobilis) and pomelo (C. maxima). It is one among many citrus from the region. These include the closely related yellow cam canh and reddish to yellow cam bo ha mandarin–pomelos hybrids; the orange-colored chun or sen, yellow bak son, and pink hong orange–mandarin hybrids or "king mandarins" (C. reticulata × C. sinensis); as well as at least three non-hybridized mandarin (C. reticulata) varietals.[1] The term "king mandarin" is sometimes applied to the cam sành itself.[2]
The tree was introduced to the United States in 1880, when the United States Minister to Japan John A. Bingham arranged for six cam sành fruits to be shipped from Saigon, Cochinchina to Dr. H. S. Magee, a nurseryman in Riverside, California. In 1882, Magee sent two seedlings and budwood to J. C. Stovin in Winter Park, Florida.[3][4]
In Vietnam, the tree is cultivated in the Mỏ Cày District, Bến Tre Province,[1] as well as the northern mountainous areas.[1][2] It has also been grown in the Bố Hạ region of Yên Thế (Yên District) of Bắc Giang Province,[2] but had been eradicated due to the citrus greening disease. Nowadays, cam sành is planted widely in northeastern Vietnam (particularly Hà Giang, Tuyên Quang, and Yên Bái), as well as in several provinces of the Mekong Delta in the south, including Vĩnh Long, Cần Thơ, and Tiền Giang.
It prefers alluvial soil, and a cool, moist climate, but is widely adaptable,[2] and does well at comparatively high altitudes.[1][2] Yield is high, with an average fruit weight of 150–250 g.[2]