Professor David Mabberley is a world renowned botanist, writer and public speaker, who specialises in the taxonomy of tropical plants. Over more than 50 years he has authored countless scientific papers and identified dozens of new plant species through fieldwork conducted in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and Australia. He is a former Keeper of the Herbarium, Library, Art and Archives at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew & Director Emeritus of Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. He is an emeritus fellow at Wadham College, University of Oxford; adjunct professor at Macquarie University, Sydney; and professor emeritus at the University of Leiden. He has been awarded the Engler Medal in Silver, José Cuatrecasas Medal for Excellence in Tropical Botany and the Linnean Medal - twice. He is also the author of the recently published book Citrus: A World History (link below).The citrus fruit industry is heading for complete collapse and there may not be anything anyone can do about it. We discuss exactly why this is happening and what the potential solutions are, but also take a deep dive into the history of citrus fruits, from their unique biology, early cultivation, hybridisation and mutation, and discover the great grand parents of the modern citrus fruit industry. We delve into the history of citrus as medicine, perfume and culinary uses, as well as their appearance in art and design. Then we discuss the modern citrus industry, the discovery of new species, and hopes for the future.

Citrus: A World History - https://www.thamesandhudsonusa.com/books/citrus-a-world-history-hardcover

00:00 Introduction

03:05 Is the Citrus Fruit Industry Doomed?

05:05 The Origins of Citrus Fruit, Asia, Citron, Pomelo, Mandarin, Wild Citrus Fruits, Hybrids

09:20 Ancient Farming and Cultivation of Citrus - Arab Trading, Alexander the Great

11:12 Citrus in the Renaissance Period, Medici, European Orangeries, Art

14:25 Uses of Citrus Fruit Through History

16:40 Coca-Cola, Perfume & Early Grey Tea: Bergamots and Neroli

20:30 Morphology of Citrus Fruit - Peel, Segments, Seeds, Vesicles

24:02 Distribution Strategies of Citrus Fruit & Life Cycle

26:30 Presence of Caffeine and DMT in Citrus

27:48 Citrus as Medicine, Makruts and Limes, Contraception, Scurvy

33:35 Rose’s Lime Cordial & Marmalade

36:53 Limes: Key Lime vs. Tahiti, Seedless Mutants

39:37 Sweet Orange Varieties: Clementines, Tangerines & Satsumas, Diversification

43:05 Grapefruits: Origins and Genetics, Effects on Medication

45:15 The Citrus Market: Growing, Insecticides, Hunalonbing, Challenges, Collapse of US Industry

52:10 Possible Scenarios for the Citrus Industry, Asian Citrus Psyllid, Importance of Diversity

57:57 Closing Thoughts

🙏 This episode is sponsored by Fever-Tree📷 Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tristanstephenson/📚 I've written quite a few books on spirits and cocktails - https://www.thecuriousbartender.com/