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Monday - December 24, 2012
From: Grover Beach, CA
Region: California
Topic: Non-Natives, Plant Identification
Title: Identification of yellow fruit with many fingers
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
This is a yellow lemon smelling fruit with many fingers. Yellow in color. Looks like an octopus.ANSWER:
Our focus and expertise here at the Wildflower Center are with plants native to North America. Now, I knew that there were no North American native plants with a description like the one that you sent, but I thought I'd see if I could find it anyway. So, I googled "yellow fruit many fingers" and found Citrus medica var. sarcodactylus (Buddha's hand citron). Here is more information. The USDA Plants Database shows it growing in Florida and Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, but lists it as introduced (I).
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