ABSTRACT
It is also possible to assume that citrus fruits, cultivated by the Chinese as well as other populations of the Far East, underwent signicant modications through natural evolution processes.
Citron was the rst citrus known to European civilization. This information was reported by Theophrastus (300 B.C.), who named it “Median” or “Persian” apple due to the diffusion of this fruit in these areas. The introduction of Citron in Sardinia, in Naples, and even in northern Italy, cultivated in greenhouses, can be dated back to the third century. It is believed that Palestine built a bridge to transfer Citron in Italy, due to the moderate climate, which is particularly suitable for its cultivation (Di Giacomo 1970).
