Monday, June 5, 2017

Buddha's Hand

Buddha's hand, fingered citron, at a spring trade show, Giardino dell'Orticultura (Horticultural Garden), Via Bolognese, Florence

Buddha's hand or fingered citron, at a spring trade show
Giardino dell'Orticultura (Horticultural Garden)
Via Bolognese
Florence, April 2017

Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis, or the fingered citron, is an unusually shaped citron variety whose fruit is segmented into finger-like sections, resembling a human hand. It is called Buddha's hand in Chinese (佛手柑), Japanese (仏手柑), and Korean (불수감). The different cultivars and variations of this citron variety form a gradient from ‘open-hand’ types with outward-splayed segments to "closed-hand" types, in which the fingers are kept together. There are also half-fingered fruits, in which the basal side is united and the apical side fingered. The origin of this kind of citron is commonly traced back to the Far East, probably northeastern India or China, where most domesticated citrus fruits originate.” (Buddha's hand, Wikipedia)