Hirado Buntan Pummelo

Hirado Buntan Pummelo is represented here in pink-fleshed form. Hodgson’s historical account, reproduced by Citrus ID, places Hirado Buntan’s chance-seedling origin in Nagasaki Prefecture and its naming and introduction around 1910. Todolí’s TCF-005 entry specifies Hirado Island, Japan, and 1910. UCR distinguishes the standard cultivar from CRC 4122, a pink-fleshed seedling selection made in Florida; it reports that USDA-ARS in Orlando received seed in 1965 and says the selection was presumably made in Florida around 1970–1980.^{⁠[1]⁠[6]⁠[7]}

Hodgson’s 1967 profile, reproduced by UCR, describes standard Hirado fruit as large, oblate, and seedy, with bright-yellow color at maturity, a medium-thick smooth, glossy, tightly adherent rind, and tender, moderately juicy light greenish-yellow flesh. It describes medium-early maturity and good storage, and vigorous medium-large trees with large, thick, broadly winged leaves. The account says Hirado was then second in importance in Japan after Banpeiyu and more cold-resistant than most pummelos. These pale-flesh details describe the historical standard cultivar; pink flesh is representative for this catalog entry. UCR separately reports Saunt’s 2000 statement that Florida’s pink-fleshed selection was then preferred for planting.^⁠[1]