Identification & Quality Standard
Fructus Aurantii
Botanical Origin
The dried immature fruit of Citrus aurantium L.(Rutaceae), and its cultivars.
Production Regions
Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangxi.
Quality Requirements
Superior medicinal material has greenish-brown exocarp, thick flesh, hard texture, potent aromatic odor.
Macroscopic Features
Semi-spherical, 3~5.5cm diameter. Exocarp is greenish-brown or brown, slightly rough, scattered numerous small oil ducts, center has obvious scars of stigma base or round scar of fruit stem. Mesocarp of cut surface is 0.6~1.2cm thick, yellowish-white and relatively smooth, slightly rolled over, scattered vascular bundles, edges have 1-2 rows of brownish-yellow oil ducts. Hard texture, hard to break, 7~12 sections of pulp, a few have 15 pulp sections, inside pulp is dry and wrinkled, brownish-yellow or dark brown, soft texture, seeds are stored inside. Axis is firm, 5~9mm wide, yellowish-white, with one round of intermittent vascular bundle spots. Aromatic odor, bitter, slightly sour taste.
