Citrus mangshanensis

{{Expert needed|biology|ex2=genetics|ex3=plants|talk=|reason=article needs correction, updating, and expansion|date=April 2015}}

{{Speciesbox

|genus = Citrus

|species = mangshanensis

|authority = S.W.He & G.F.Liu

}}

Citrus mangshanensis, the mangshanyegan ({{zh|s=莽山野柑}}), is a wild citrus fruit species.

The mangshanyegan is native to mountain forests in Mangshan, Hunan province, China, where it was first reported in the 1980s.{{cite journal|title=Chemotaxonomic Study of Citrus, Poncirus and Fortunella Genotypes Based on Peel Oil Volatile Compounds - Deciphering the Genetic Origin of Mangshanyegan (Citrus nobilis Lauriro) | pmc=3596367 | pmid=23516475 | doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0058411 | volume=8 | issue=3 | year=2013 | journal=PLOS ONE | pages=e58411 |last1=Liu |first1=Cuihua |last2=Jiang |first2=Dong |last3=Cheng |first3=Yunjiang |last4=Deng |first4=Xiuxin |last5=Chen |first5=Feng |last6=Fang |first6=Liu |last7=Ma |first7=Zhaocheng |last8=Xu |first8=Juan| bibcode=2013PLoSO...858411L | doi-access=free }} It is genetically distinct from the mandarin orange,{{cite journal|title=Sequencing of diverse mandarin, pummelo and orange genomes reveals complex history of admixture during citrus domestication | doi=10.1038/nbt.2906 | volume=32 | issue=7 | journal=Nature Biotechnology | pages=656–662 | pmid=24908277 | pmc=4113729 | year=2014 | last1 = Wu | first1 = GA |display-authors=etal}} with which it has morphological similarities, and the term 'Mangshan wild mandarins' as well as the species name C. mangshanensis have been used both for the mangshanyegan and for wild true mandarins of the same region.{{cite journal|last1=Wang|first1=Lun|display-authors=etal|title=Genome of Wild Mandarin and Domestication History of Mandarin|journal=Molecular Plant|volume=11|number=8|pages=1024–1037|year=2018|doi=10.1016/j.molp.2018.06.001|pmid=29885473|doi-access=free}} Genomic sequencing shows the mangshanyegan to be one of a small number of pure (non-hybrid) citrus species, having diverged from other members of the genus at the initial branching of Citrus radiation in the Late Miocene.{{cite journal|title=Genomics of the origin and evolution of Citrus | last1=Wu | first1=Guohong Albert | last2=Terol | first2=Javier | last3=Ibanez | first3=Victoria | last4=López-García | first4=Antonio | last5=Pérez-Román | first5=Estela | last6=Borredá | first6=Carles | last7=Domingo | first7=Concha | last8=Tadeo | first8=Francisco R | last9=Carbonell-Caballero | first9=Jose | last10=Alonso | first10=Roberto | last11=Curk | first11=Franck | last12=Du | first12=Dongliang | last13=Ollitrault | first13=Patrick | last14=Roose | first14=Mikeal L. Roose | last15=Dopazo | first15=Joaquin | last16=Gmitter Jr | first16=Frederick G. | last17=Rokhsar | first17=Daniel | last18=Talon | first18=Manuel | journal=Nature | year = 2018 | volume=554 | issue=7692 | pages=311–316 | doi=10.1038/nature25447| pmid=29414943 | bibcode=2018Natur.554..311W | doi-access=free | hdl=20.500.11939/5741 | hdl-access=free }} It is genetically similar to another wild citrus of the region, the yuanju.

Taxonomy and genetic distinction

Citrus mangshanensis is genetically distinct from the mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata), despite some morphological similarities.{{Cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=G. Albert |last2=Prochnik |first2=Simon |last3=Jenkins |first3=Jerry |last4=Salse |first4=Jerome |last5=Hellsten |first5=Uffe |last6=Murat |first6=Florent |last7=Perrier |first7=Xavier |last8=Ruiz |first8=Manuel |last9=Scalabrin |first9=Simone |last10=Terol |first10=Javier |last11=Takita |first11=Marco Aurélio |last12=Labadie |first12=Karine |last13=Poulain |first13=Julie |last14=Couloux |first14=Arnaud |last15=Jabbari |first15=Kamel |date=July 2014 |title=Sequencing of diverse mandarin, pummelo and orange genomes reveals complex history of admixture during citrus domestication |journal=Nature Biotechnology |language=en |volume=32 |issue=7 |pages=656–662 |doi=10.1038/nbt.2906 |issn=1546-1696 |pmc=4113729 |pmid=24908277}}{{Cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Guohong Albert |last2=Sugimoto |first2=Chikatoshi |last3=Kinjo |first3=Hideyasu |last4=Azama |first4=Chika |last5=Mitsube |first5=Fumimasa |last6=Talon |first6=Manuel |last7=Gmitter |first7=Frederick G. |last8=Rokhsar |first8=Daniel S. |date=2021-07-26 |title=Diversification of mandarin citrus by hybrid speciation and apomixis |journal=Nature Communications |language=en |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=4377 |doi=10.1038/s41467-021-24653-0 |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=8313541 |pmid=34312382|bibcode=2021NatCo..12.4377W }} Genomic studies confirm that it diverged from other citrus species during the Late Miocene, at the initial branching of the Citrus genus.{{Cite web |title=莽山野桔 Citrus mangshanensis——国家重点保护野生植物大数据平台 |url=https://www.iplant.cn/bhzw/info/952 |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=www.iplant.cn}} Unlike hybrid citrus varieties, C. mangshanensis does not exhibit genetic admixture and is considered a unique species within the genus. It is also genetically distinct from the wild mandarins of the same region, often referred to as “Mangshan wild mandarins.”

Morphological characteristics

The species has distinctive features:

Leaves: Oval or ovoid, 4.2–.3 cm in length, with thin round teeth.{{Cite web |title=莽山野橘 Citrus mangshanensis{{!}}iPlant 植物智——植物物种信息系统 |url=https://www.iplant.cn/info/%E8%8E%BD%E5%B1%B1%E9%87%8E%E6%A9%98?t=n |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=www.iplant.cn}}

Flowers: White petals with a thick and short pistil.

Fruit: Nearly pear-shaped or oblate, measuring 6–7.5 cm in diameter. The fruit has a short hard tip, is rich in pectin, and contains spherical or ovoid juice cells with oil glands.

Taste: Extremely sour and slightly bitter.

The fruit ripens in October.{{Cite journal |last=Mabberley |first=David J |date=2022-09-06 |title=A classification for edible citrus: an update, with a note on Murraya (Rutaceae) |url=https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/TEL/article/view/15954 |journal=Telopea |volume=25 |doi=10.7751/telopea15954 |issn=2200-4025}}

Habitat and distribution

Citrus mangshanensis thrives in mountainous areas at an altitude of approximately 700 meters. It is endemic to southern Hunan, China, particularly in the Mangshan region of the Nanling mountain range.

Conservation status

This species is listed under China’s National Key Protected Wild Plants (2021 Edition) as a Level II protected species due to its limited distribution and ecological importance.

Aroma and Xenia effects

The fruit of C. mangshanensis is inedible but contains high amounts of aromatic volatile compounds, including cis- and trans-linalool oxides and β-myrcene, which contribute to its unique balsamic and floral aroma. These compounds distinguish it from other citrus species.{{Cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Haipeng |last2=Liu |first2=Cuihua |last3=Yao |first3=Jia-Long |last4=Deng |first4=Cecilia Hong |last5=Chen |first5=Shilin |last6=Chen |first6=Jiajing |last7=Wang |first7=Zhenhua |last8=Yu |first8=Qiaoming |last9=Cheng |first9=Yunjiang |last10=Xu |first10=Juan |date=2019-08-28 |title=Citrus mangshanensis Pollen Confers a Xenia Effect on Linalool Oxide Accumulation in Pummelo Fruit by Enhancing the Expression of a Cytochrome P450 78A7 Gene CitLO1 |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jafc.9b03158 |journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry |volume=67 |issue=34 |pages=9468–9476 |doi=10.1021/acs.jafc.9b03158 |pmid=31379158 |bibcode=2019JAFC...67.9468Z |issn=0021-8561}}

Research has shown that C. mangshanensis pollen can produce a Xenia effect, influencing the aroma profile of other citrus fruits, such as pomelo. Pollination with C. mangshanensis pollen increases the levels of linalool oxides in fruit juice sacs, enhancing aroma quality. This effect is attributed to the upregulation of the CitLO1 gene, which is involved in linalool oxide synthesis.

References

mangshanensis