Ju Hong

Citrus reticulata is a small evergreen tree or shrub in the Rutaceae family reaching 4-8 m tall with a slender, often spiny-twigged crown and aromatic foliage. Native to southern China and Southeast Asia, it is one of the original true citrus species and has been cultivated for over two millennia. The leaves are simple, lanceolate, 4-8 cm long, glossy dark green above, with narrowly winged petioles and pellucid oil glands that release a characteristic fragrance when crushed. White star-shaped five-petalled flowers borne singly or in small axillary clusters give rise to the familiar oblate orange-red mandarin fruit 5-8 cm across with a loose easily-peeled rind. Ju Hong is specifically the dried outermost coloured layer (flavedo) of the peel, separated from the inner white spongy albedo, distinct from Chen Pi which uses the whole peel.