# Are citrus fruit naturally lumpy looking? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 15, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-citrus-fruit-naturally-lumpy-looking/715056 "2015-03-15T18:21:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-citrus-fruit-naturally-lumpy-looking/715056/1 "2015-03-15T18:21:44Z")
I remember noticing in a organic farmers market in the US all the citrus fruit had lumpy “pimply” looking skin, they tasted fine but the skin looked different. Now in the Carribean locally grown citrus in markets all looks the same way, lumpy, but tastes fine. You can find imported ones in large grocery chains that look like ones you’d find in a US grocery. Do they naturally look like that? And US growers apply a wax or something to make them look smooth? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-citrus-fruit-naturally-lumpy-looking/715056/2 "2015-03-15T19:28:34Z")
I’ve no idea what the oranges look like in a US grocery, but the surface texture of citrus fruits varies from rough to smooth depending on variety - there are smooth shiny varieties of lemon and rough ones; same for grapefruits, tangerines and oranges. The smoother skinned varieties also tend to have thinner, less pithy rind too. ETA: Citrus fruits are often waxed to help preserve them, but it’s an almost invisibly thin layer. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-citrus-fruit-naturally-lumpy-looking/715056/3 "2015-03-15T19:46:41Z")
What sort of citrus are you referring to? It might help in defining an answer to your question. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-citrus-fruit-naturally-lumpy-looking/715056/4 "2015-03-15T19:47:29Z")
There are hundreds of varieties of citrus- some have somooth skin, some lumpy. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-citrus-fruit-naturally-lumpy-looking/715056/5 "2015-03-15T20:05:33Z")
Image searching lead me to this page with a good example pic: [http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1820570/questions-about-lumpy-lemons-on-my-tree](http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1820570/questions-about-lumpy-lemons-on-my-tree) Most of the citrus fruit from lemons, oranges, limes sold grown locally look like the one on the left. Grapefruit seem to fair better but have other issues with the skin. The only other place I have seen them look like this was organically grown ones. They might look ugly but taste fine. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-citrus-fruit-naturally-lumpy-looking/715056/6 "2015-03-15T20:52:08Z")
The locally grown lemons are probably [Ponderosa](http://images.plantcaretoday.com/wp-content/uploads/ponderosa-lemon.jpg)lemons or some form of [citron](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/3_etrog.JPG). Bothare usually rather lumpy. Typical “grocery store” lemons are either [Eureka](http://citruspages.free.fr/images/eureka7-jk.jpg) or [Lisbon](http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-89211426638333_2272_593883)lemons which are naturally smooth and shiny. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-citrus-fruit-naturally-lumpy-looking/715056/7 "2015-03-15T21:03:18Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > There are hundreds of varieties of citrus- some have somooth skin, some lumpy. And also, most citrus species can be hybridized as well, which sometimes results in lumpy looking, but otherwise desireable, fruit. A “tangelo” is a cross between an orange or a tangerine and a pomelo or a grapefruit. One particular type is sold under the trade name [Ugli fruit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugli_fruit) because of their appearance. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-citrus-fruit-naturally-lumpy-looking/715056/8 "2015-03-16T07:31:26Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Image searching lead me to this page with a good example pic: > > [http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1820570/questions-about-lumpy-lemons-on-my-tree](http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1820570/questions-about-lumpy-lemons-on-my-tree) > > Most of the citrus fruit from lemons, oranges, limes sold grown locally look like the one on the left. Grapefruit seem to fair better but have other issues with the skin. The only other place I have seen them look like this was organically grown ones. > > They might look ugly but taste fine. That example pic looks like an orange I found one time that I know was rotten. I did not know they got that bad.