View source for Pompia

{{Short description|Variety of plant}}
{{Infraspeciesbox
|image = Frutto pompia.jpg
|image_caption = Pompia fruit
|genus = Citrus
|species = medica
|species_link = Citron
|varietas = tuberosa
|authority = [[Antoine Risso|Risso]] (1813)
|synonyms = *''Citrus medica tuberosa'' <small>[[Antoine Risso|Risso]] & [[Pierre Antoine Poiteau|Poiteau]]</small>
*''Citrus medica monstruosa'' <small>[[Giuseppe Giacinto Moris|Moris]]</small>
*''Citrus monstruosa''
*''Citrus'' × ''monstruosa''
*''Citrus limon'' var. ''pompia'' <small>[[Ignazio Camarda|Camarda]]</small>
*''Citrus limon'' var. ''pompia'' var. ''nova'' <small>[[Ignazio Camarda|Camarda]]</small>
*''Citrus medica'' × ''aurantium''
}}
{{Citron varieties}}
'''Pompia''' ('''''Citrus medica'' var. ''tuberosa'''''), also called '''pumpia''', '''sa pompia''', '''spompia''', and '''China citron''', is a ''[[Citrus]]'' [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrid]] cultivated for its edible [[fruit]].<ref name=Science>{{cite journal |last1=Luro |first1=François |last2=Viglietti |first2=Grazia |last3=Marchi |first3=Elodie |last4=Costantino |first4=Gilles |last5=Scarpa |first5=Grazia Maria |last6=Tomi |first6=Felix |last7=Paoli |first7=Mathieu |last8=Curk |first8=Franck |last9=Ollitrault |first9=Patrick |title=Genetic, morphological and chemical investigations reveal the genetic origin of Pompia (C. medica tuberosa Risso & Poiteau) – An old endemic Sardinian citrus fruit |journal=Phytochemistry |pages=112083 |language=en |doi=10.1016/j.phytochem.2019.112083 |date=1 December 2019|volume=168 |pmid=31521382 |doi-access=free }}</ref> It is a taxonomical synonym of ''[[Citrus medica]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Citrus medica var. tuberosa Risso |url=https://www.gbif.org/species/12325733 |website=www.gbif.org |access-date=23 September 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
==Distribution==
Pompia originated and is found only in [[Sardinia]], especially the eastern half, where it can be found growing wild in [[citrus]] groves and cultivated in backyards and orchards.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pompia - Presidi Slow Food |url=https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/slow-food-presidia/pompia/ |website=fondazioneslowfood.com |access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref> The earliest descriptions of it date back to 1780 and it likely originated around 1760 in [[Milis]].<ref name=Sardinia>{{cite thesis |last1=Viglietti |first1=Grazia |title=Morphological, chemical and genetic characterization of Citrus monstruosa, an endemism of Sardinia |date=2015–2016 |url=https://core.ac.uk/reader/96178732 |access-date=14 February 2021}}</ref>
==Description==
[[File:Pompia frutto aperto.jpg|left|thumb|Open pompia fruit]]
The [[fruit]] is moderately large (at least as large as a [[grapefruit]]), round and sometimes [[Glossary of botanical terms#oblate|oblate]] or square in shape, and has a rough, warty, yellow (green when unripe), thick, and sometimes ribbed [[Peel (fruit)|rind]]. It sometimes has a circular depression in the top or bottom. The inner pulp is acidic, yellow, and mostly dry and is generally considered inedible;<ref>{{cite web |title=Pompia - Presìdi Slow Food |url=https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/slow-food-presidia/pompia/ |website=Slow Food Foundation |access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref> it has been described as bitter and chewy. It has a subtle fragrance and contains 13–14 wedges with large [[Juice vesicle|vesicles]]. It is usually seedless but may contain one to three [[polyembryonic]] seeds which measure {{convert|8 to 12|mm|abbr=off|sp=us}} in length and are roughly triangular in shape. It weighs up to 1.5 pounds (0.7 kilograms). The tree is densely branched and grows {{convert|2 to 3|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} in height and has an expanded and erect posture. The [[petiole (botany)|petiole]] is unwinged and measures 6–10 millimeters in length. The leaves are [[Glossary of botanical terms#elliptical|elliptical]] in shape and are dark green in color; they are leathery and the [[Glossary of botanical terms#apex|apex]] is rounded in an [[Glossary of botanical terms#ovate|ovate]] to [[Glossary of botanical terms#lanceolate|lanceolate]] shape. The [[Glossary of botanical terms#margin|margin]] is [[Glossary of botanical terms#entire|entire]] and the [[midrib]] is very defined. The [[flowers]] are white in color and are either solitary or in clusters of two to eight; they usually have five [[petals]]. They have numerous [[stamens]] and [[Glossary of botanical terms#dorsifixed|dorsifixed]] [[anthers]], and the [[Stigma (botany)|stigma]] is round and green in color and irregularly lobed. The tree fruits from October to February or March.<ref name=Sardinia/>
==Uses==
[[File:Pompia intrea.jpg|left|thumb|Sa pompia intrea, a traditional dessert of [[Siniscola]] consisting of the candied rind of the fruit covered in honey]]
The fruit has been grown and cultivated for at least two centuries in [[Sardinia]]; however, it did not gain international popularity until the 1990s, when a large orchard of pompia trees were planted as part of a social farming project. Since then, it has become a presidium of [[Slow Food]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Pompia Citron |url=https://www.oscartintori.it/en/prodotto/pompia-citron/ |website=Oscar Tintori - Nurseries Worldwide - Citrus Plants |access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref> It is most notably used in '''sa pompia intrea''', a traditional dessert of [[Siniscola]] in which the rind of the fruit is candied and then covered with honey and served on an orange leaf. It is also used in various [[liquors]]<ref>{{cite web |title=pompia citrus monstruosa |url=http://www.sandalyon.eu/eng/articles/archive/the-traditional-cuisine-of-sardinia-/pompia-citrus-monstruosa__241.html |website=sandalyon.eu |access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref> and is sometimes grafted onto [[sour orange]].<ref name=Sardinia/>
==Genetics==
Before the parentage was confirmed, the pompia was thought to be a hybrid of a [[citron]] and [[grapefruit]] or citron and [[lemon]]; however, recent studies have proven the pompia to be a hybrid of the citron (''Citrus medica'') and the [[sour orange]] (''Citrus aurantium''), with the citron being the pollen parent and the sour orange being the seed parent. The variety of the citron parent has not been confirmed, but it is likely a [[Diamante citron]] or a common poncire. The pompia is genetically synonymous with the [[Rhobs el Arsa]] and Poncire de Collioure citrons. The [[essential oil]] composition in the leaf is closer to that of a citron, while the essential oil composition in the zest is closer to that of a sour orange.<ref name=Science/> The major compound in the fruit is [[limonene]] at 94%, and it contains smaller amounts of [[sesquiterpenes]] and its derivatives.<ref>{{cite web |title=The origins of pompia: An Italian citrus delicacy |url=https://analyticalscience.wiley.com/do/10.1002/sepspec.152124807a4/full/ |website=Wiley Analytical Science |access-date=26 January 2021 |language=en |doi=10.1002/sepspec.152124807a4|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 }}</ref> The rind of the fruit contains [[antioxidant]] substances<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Manconi |first1=Maria |last2=Manca |first2=Maria Letizia |last3=Marongiu |first3=Francesca |last4=Caddeo |first4=Carla |last5=Castangia |first5=Ines |last6=Petretto |first6=Giacomo Luigi |last7=Pintore |first7=Giorgio |last8=Sarais |first8=Giorgia |last9=D'hallewin |first9=Guy |last10=Zaru |first10=Marco |last11=Bacchetta |first11=Gianluigi |last12=Fadda |first12=Anna Maria |title=Chemical characterization of Citrus limon var. pompia and incorporation in phospholipid vesicles for skin delivery |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27084291/ |journal=International Journal of Pharmaceutics |access-date=26 January 2021 |pages=449–457 |doi=10.1016/j.ijpharm.2016.04.014 |date=15 June 2016|volume=506 |issue=1–2 |pmid=27084291 }}</ref> and the leaves contain [[antimicrobial]] substances that kill ''[[Listeria]]'' bacteria on foods.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fancello |first1=Francesco |last2=Petretto |first2=Giacomo L. |last3=Marceddu |first3=Salvatore |last4=Venditti |first4=Tullio |last5=Pintore |first5=Giorgio |last6=Zara |first6=Giacomo |last7=Mannazzu |first7=Ilaria |last8=Budroni |first8=Marilena |last9=Zara |first9=Severino |title=Antimicrobial activity of gaseous Citrus limon var pompia leaf essential oil against Listeria monocytogenes on ricotta salata cheese |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31948627/ |journal=Food Microbiology |access-date=26 January 2021 |pages=103386 |doi=10.1016/j.fm.2019.103386 |date=May 2020|volume=87 |pmid=31948627 |s2cid=210703054 }}</ref>
==See also==
*[[List of citrus fruits]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Citrus}}
[[Category:Citron]]
[[Category:Citrus]]
[[Category:Citrus hybrids]]
[[Category:Edible fruits]]
[[Category:Fruit trees]]
[[Category:Cuisine of Sardinia]]
[[Category:Flora of Italy]]
[[Category:Fruits originating in Europe]]
[[Category:Trees of Mediterranean climate]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1813]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Antoine Risso]]