Grapefruit facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grapefruit
A basket of grapefruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Subclass:	Rosidae
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Rutaceae
Genus:	Citrus
Species:	C. paradisi
Binomial name
Citrus paradisi Macfad.

Grapefruit is a citrus fruit grown in sub-tropical places. It is bigger than an orange and is often more sour, but many types of grapefruit have other flavors.

The tree which the grapefruit grows on is normally 5-6 meters tall but can reach up to 15 meters tall. It has dark green leaves that measure up to 150mm and has white flowers that grow 5cm in length. The fruit itself can grow 10-15cm in diameter. In 2007, there were about 5,061,023 tons of grapefruits made worldwide, most of the tons coming from the U.S. There are many different kinds of grapefruits with different color pulp. The most popular colors are red, white and pink. There are also a wide range of flavors grapefruits have, from highly acidic and bitter to sweet.

Varieties

The varieties of Texas and Florida grapefruit include: Oro Blanco, Ruby Red, Pink, Thompson, White Marsh, Flame, Star Ruby, Duncan, and Pummelo HB.

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  Grapefruit

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  1750 Engraving of The Forbidden Fruit Tree by Georg Dionysius Ehret

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  Grapefruit in growth

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  Pink grapefruit

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  Half peeled 'Indian' cultivar

The inside of a grapefruit.

Nutritional properties

Grapefruit is a rich source of vitamin C (>20% of the Daily Value, DV in a 100 gram serving), contains the fiber pectin, and the pink and red hues contain the beneficial antioxidant lycopene. Studies have shown grapefruit helps lower cholesterol, and there is evidence that the seeds have antioxidant properties. Grapefruit forms a core part of the "grapefruit diet", the theory being that the fruit's low glycemic index is able to help the body's metabolism burn fat.

Images for kids

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  Grapefruit growing in the grape-like clusters from which their name may derive

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  Kimball Atwood

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  "Red" grapefruit

See also

In Spanish: Citrus × paradisi para niños