The citrus grove of the Villa della Pergola Gardens today presents around 40 different varieties including curious or rare species, such as the very famous Chinotto of Savona (Slow Food presidium) and others such as the Citron Buddha's Hand, the Trifoliate Orange, the only citrus fruit deciduous leaf in nature, or the Murraya Paniculata, the smallest citrus fruit in the world.

The term citrus refers to cultivated plants belonging to the Cytrus genus and their fruits. The origin of all Citrus is India and the Far East.

The various species reached Europe at different times, but it seems that the first specimen to make its appearance in Europe was the cedar, also known by the name of "Persian apple" among the Romans, and obviously present in the collection of our Gardens.

Even lemon and bitter orange were already known at the time even if not cultivated.

The flowers that anticipate the birth of the fruits are called Zagare and have a spectacular white color with variations in shades based on the species, for example lemon or citron have purple shades.

A curiosity?

The word Zagara derives from the Sicilian zàgara, which in turn derives from the Arabic (zahra, "flower").