Morphological information

Tree c 3 m; twigs mostly spiny. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, 5-7 x 2-3 cm, acute but with blunt tip, base cuneate, margin obscurely crenate; petiole c 0.7 cm, narrowly winged. Flowers solitary or in axillary clusters. Fruit globose or depressed-globose, 5-10 cm diameter; peel thin, loosely attached, easily seperating from 8- 9 segments, bright orange or scarlet orange.

Phytochemistry

Determination of linalool (29.68) and citronellal (26.57 %) in flower oil (Linchan Huaxue Yu Gongye 1989, 9, 55; Chem. Abstr. 1990, 112, 33361 c) y-terpinene (20.15). p-cymene (16.29), linallol (9.55) and terpinen – 4-ol(7.13%) determined in leaf oil by GC-Ms (J. essent. Oil Res. 1990, 2, 329; Chem. Abstr. 1991, 114, 108682 K); 17 B-D-glucosides of limonin, nomilin, deacetylnomilin, obacunone, deacetylnomilinic acid and ichnangin isolated from seeds (Agric. Biol. Chem.1991, 55,137); palmitic, oleic, linolenic acids identified in seed oil of mNigerian plant (Food Chem. 1993, 47, 77; Chem. Abstr. 1993,118,232624 q); stereoselective synthesis of elemol (Tetrahedron Lett. 1993, 34, 6557); 5- hydroxy 3, 7, 8, 3’, 4’- pentamethoxyflavone, 3, 5, 6, 7, 3', 4'- hexamethoxyflavone isolated from peel (Prikl. Biolkhim. Mikrobioil. 1993, 29, 604; Chem. Abstr. 1994, 120, 4653 j); isolation of p- sitosterol, β- amyrin and naringenin from fruits (Asian. I Chem. 1994, 6, 180; Chem. Abstr. 1991, 120, 266846h)

Medicinal

The peel oil showed fairly good antifungal. The fruit is laxative, aphrodisiac, astrigent, tonic and relieves vomiting.