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Buddha's hand

Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis

Also called Citron

Buddha's hand
Photo: Kaldari, Public domain

Buddha's hand is a fingered citron variety, a shrub or small tree grown mainly for its finger-like fruit, which has fragrant rind and pith but little or no juice. It needs a warm, frost-free climate or a pot brought indoors in winter.

Family
Rutaceae (Citrus family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Full sun
Water
Water when the top few centimetres of soil dry out, and avoid both drought and waterlogging.
Soil
Well-drained citrus potting mix or loam, slightly acidic.
Temperature
18–30 °C; protect below 5 °C
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Not known to be toxic
Edible
Yes, some parts

About

Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis, or the fingered citron, is a citron variety whose fruit is segmented into finger-like sections, resembling those seen on representations of the Buddha. It is called Buddha's hand in many languages including English, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, German and French. Unlike other citrus fruits, it contains no pulp or juice, but has edible rind and pith.

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 South or East Asia, probably northeastern India or China, where most domesticated citrus fruits originate.

Other Citrus plants

Calamansi · Citrofortunella · Nasnaran Mandarin · Ada Jamir · Key lime · Bitter orange · Bergamot orange · Ichang Lemon or Ichang papeda · Celebes papeda · Clementine · Heen naran · Daidai

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Buddha's hand by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

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