Ein Rautengewächs der Subtropen; bis 20 m hohe Bäume mit traubigen Blütenständen. Die gelben Früchte haben bitter-süßes Fruchtfleisch u. sind kleiner als die der Pampelmuse.
1. Citrus tree bearing large round edible fruit having a thick yellow rind and juicy somewhat acid pulp; SYN. Citrus paradisi.
2. Large yellow fruit with somewhat acid juicy pulp; usual serving consists of a half.
Round, yellow, juicy, sharp-tasting fruit of the evergreen tree Citrus paradisi of the Rutaceae family. The tree grows up to 10 m/more than 30 ft and has dark shiny leaves and large white flowers. The large fruits grow in grapelike clusters (hence the name). Grapefruits were first established in the West Indies and subsequently cultivated in Florida by the 1880s; they are now also grown in Israel and South Africa.
Some varieties have pink flesh.
Research by US doctors 1995 showed the consumption of grapefruit juice to increase the levels of the antirejection drug cyclosporin in the blood, thus providing a potential cheap, nontoxic treatment for transplant patients.
Siehe Pampelmuse.