Buddha's hand

Buddha's hand


Buddha's hand
Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis
Buddha's hand fruit, underside of "open hand" form
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Citrus
Species: C. medica
Variety: C. m. var. sarcodactylus
Trinomial name
Citrus medica var. sarcodactylus

Buddha's hand, Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis (also known as bushukan (Japanese) or fingered citron), is a fragrant citron variety whose fruit is segmented into finger-like sections. The origin of Buddha's hand plant is traced back to Northeastern India or China.

Contents

Description

Buddha's hand fruit, "closed hand" form

Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis is a shrub or small tree with long, irregular branches covered in thorns. Its large, oblong leaves are pale green and grow about four to six inches. Its white flowers are tinted purplish from the outside and grow in fragrant clusters.[1]

Buddha's hand has a thick peel and only a small amount of acidic flesh (if any) and is juiceless and sometimes seedless.

Uses

Buddha's hand fruit is very fragrant and is used predominantly by the Chinese and Japanese for perfuming rooms and personal items, such as clothing.

The fruit may be given as a religious offering in Buddhist temples. According to tradition, Buddha prefers the "fingers" of the fruit to be in a position where they resemble a closed rather than open hand, as closed hands symbolize to Buddha the act of prayer.

Culinary

3 etrog.JPG Citron varieties



Acidic-pulp varieties:

Non-acidic varieties:

Pulpless varieties:

Related Articles:
CitrusSuccadeHybridGraftingChimeraEtrog • Sukkoth • Four Species
This box: view · talk · edit

The peel of the fruit can be candied into succade. In Western cooking, it is often used for its zest. The inner white pith is not bitter as is usually the case with citrus, so the fingers may be cut off and then longitudinally sliced, peel, pith, and all, and used in salads or scattered over cooked foods such as fish.

Cultivation

Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis is cultivated for fruit crops and as an ornamental tree in gardens and containers on patios and terraces. It is sensitive to frost, as well as intense heat and drought. It grows best in temperate conditions. Areas such as the coast of Southern California as well as inland valleys are considered ideal for its planting. Trees can be grown from cuttings taken from branches two to four years old. It is very commonly grafted onto sufficient rootstock.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Buddha's hand citron". Catalog of the Citrus Variety Collection. Riverside, CA: University of California, Riverside, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, Citrus Experiment Station. http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/buddha.html. Retrieved 2010-04-20. 

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • buddha's-hand — | ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˈ ̷ ̷ noun (plural buddha s hands) Usage: usually capitalized B : a citron (Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis) that is cultivated in eastern Asia as an ornamental and for its very fragrant fruit which is split into several usually… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Buddha's hand — noun A fragrant citrus fruit with a lemon like flavor, native to northern India. Syn: Buddhas Hand citron, fingered citron …   Wiktionary

  • Buddha's hand — /bʊdəz ˈhænd/ (say booduhz hand) noun a variety of citron, Citrus medica var. sarcodactylus, with golden fruit segmented into finger like sections; fingered citron. {from the finger like segments of the golden fruit} …  

  • Buddha: Der Erleuchtete —   Die Zeit von 600 bis 500 v. Chr. war für die Entwicklung der indischen Kultur eine der entscheidenden Perioden. Um die Mitte des 1. Jahrtausends v. Chr. bildeten sich im Nordosten Indiens Oligarchien und kleine Königreiche mit Städten als… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Buddha-nature — (Classical Chinese: 佛性, modern pinyin fó xìng , literally corresponds to the Sanskrit, Buddha dhatu Buddha Element , Buddha Principle , but seems to have been used most frequently to translate the Sanskrit Tathāgata garbha , meaning Buddha Matrix …   Wikipedia

  • Buddha (manga) — Buddha Cover of Buddha Vol.6 from the Osamu Tezuka Manga Complete Works collection. ブッダ (Budda) Genre Historical, Supernatural …   Wikipedia

  • Buddha-Statue (Thailand) — Schreitender Buddha, Sukhothai Stil Eine Buddha Statue ist das plastische, meist idealisierte Abbild des Buddha. Eine Buddha Statue wurde nicht als Kunstwerk geschaffen, zur Dekoration oder nur, um das Auge zu erfreuen. Die Absicht war vielmehr,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Buddha — /booh deuh, bood euh/, n. 1. Also called Butsu, Gautama, Gautama Buddha. (Prince Siddhattha or Siddhartha) 566? c480 B.C., Indian religious leader: founder of Buddhism. 2. any of a series of teachers in Buddhism, of whom Gautama was the last, who …   Universalium

  • Buddha Shakyamuni — Siddhartha Gautama mit seinen ersten fünf Schülern Siddhartha Gautama (Sanskrit, m., सिद्धार्थ गौतम, Siddhārtha Gautama; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) (* um 563 v. Chr. in Lumbini, 80 B.B.E; † 483 v. Chr., Jahr 0 nach der bu …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Buddha images in Thailand — A Buddha image in Thailand typically refers to three dimensional stone, wood, clay, or metal cast images of the Buddha. While there are such figures in all regions where Buddhism is commonly practiced, the appearance, composition and position of… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”