What are the characteristics of Buddha's hand? Let us introduce you to the features of Buddha's hand

Other names for Buddha's hand

Buddha's hand citron, five-finger tangerine, Feirang, honey citron, five-finger citron, five-finger mandarin.

The growing habits of Buddha's hand

Buddha's hand is a tropical and subtropical plant. It likes warm, humid environments with plenty of sunlight, is not tolerant of severe cold, and fears frost and drought. It tolerates shade, poor soil and waterlogging. It is best cultivated in areas with abundant rainfall and no freezing in winter.

The optimal growing temperature is 22-24°C, the overwintering temperature should be above 5°C, the most suitable annual rainfall is 1000-1200 mm, and the suitable annual sunshine duration is 1200-1800 hours. It is suited to growing in deep, loose, fertile, humus-rich, well-drained acidic loam, sandy loam or clay loam.

The producing areas and distribution of Buddha's hand

Buddha's hand is distributed in China's Fujian, Guangdong, Sichuan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. In Guangdong it is mostly planted in open hilly plains at an altitude of 300-500 m, while in Sichuan it is mostly distributed in hilly areas at an altitude of 400-700 m, especially on hilltops.

A complete guide to Buddha's hand varieties

Guangdong Large-Fruit Buddha's hand: The tree is tall, with grayish-brown trunk. The branches are green, and the branch stems have sharp small thorns; long branches tend to droop after bearing fruit, short branches are numerous, and the tips of young shoots are purplish red. The leaves are relatively large, similar to pomelo leaves. The fruit is relatively large, with relatively high yield, and the fruit size is fairly uniform; when ripe it is light yellow with a distinctive fragrance. It is outstanding among cultivated varieties of Buddha's hand.

Nanjing Buddha's hand: The tree is tall, with a pale grayish-green stem. The leaves are relatively small, about 8 cm long and about 5 cm wide, green in color, and the young shoots are green. The flowers are white; from April to May there are more male flowers, and from late June there are more bisexual flowers. The fruit is slightly smaller than that of the Guangdong Large-Fruit variety. Fruit drop is severe at the young fruit stage; generally, once the fruit grows to 2 cm long it is no longer easy to drop. When ripe the fruit is pale golden yellow, and the fruit sizes vary, with two types: fist fruit and open-hand fruit. This variety has high yield, the alternate-bearing phenomenon is not obvious, the tree grows vigorously, and it readily produces water sprouts and upright-growing branches.

Large-Fruit Buddha's hand: The tree is tall, slightly smaller than the Nanjing variety; the branches are greenish gray-brown, with few small branches, and long branches droop easily, so open-field planting requires trellising. The leaves are relatively large, about 11 cm long and about 6 cm wide, dark green, and the young shoots are dark purple. The flowers are purplish red, relatively large, slightly larger than those of the Nanjing variety. The fruit is also relatively large, with the largest single fruit reaching 1 kg; most are fist-shaped fruit, the alternate-bearing phenomenon is obvious, cold tolerance is poorer than that of the Nanjing variety, and the yield is not high, so it is less grown in production.

Small-Fruit Buddha's hand: The stems are mostly pale gray, the plant is short, and the flowers are white. The fruit is small, ripens earlier, and is mostly in clustered fist-shaped form, with a full fragrance. Cold resistance is poor and yield is low. It is generally used mostly for potted cultivation (Buddha's hand potting techniques) and seldom grown as a crop.

The value and uses of Buddha's hand

Ornamental value: The ornamental value of Buddha's hand is different from that of ordinary bonsai flowers. The flowers of Buddha's hand are pure white and fragrant, and open in clusters, making them very endearing. When the fruit ripens, its shape is like extended fingers, a clenched fist, a fist with fingers, or a hand within a hand... shaped like a human hand, remarkably true to life. Buddha's hand can not only be used for potted appreciation, but can also be cut as fruit and used to decorate bouquets, giving a distinctive beauty.

Medicinal value: Every part of Buddha's hand is valuable. The roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruit can all be used as medicine; it is pungent, bitter, sweet, warm and non-toxic; it enters the liver, spleen and stomach meridians, and has various medicinal functions such as regulating qi and resolving phlegm, stopping vomiting and reducing bloating, soothing the liver and strengthening the spleen, and harmonizing the stomach.

Buddha's hand citron essential oil. The fruit peel of Buddha's hand can be pressed for essential oil, fresh and elegant, similar to orange and lemon, with a slight floral note, combining the rich aroma of fruit and flowers; it is one of the most commonly used essential oils in perfumes.

Edible value: The fruit of Buddha's hand is rich in nutrients. It can be dried and drunk as tea, or used fresh, and has good dietary therapeutic effects. The outer surface of the fruit is orange-yellow, yellow-green or brown-green, wrinkled and with oil dots. The flesh is pale yellowish-white, with vascular bundles present in dot-like or line-like forms. It is hard and brittle in texture, and becomes flexible after absorbing moisture. It is aromatic; the outer part of the peel tastes pungent and slightly spicy, while the inner part tastes sweet and then bitter.

The flower language of Buddha's hand

The flower language of Buddha's hand is auspiciousness and good luck.

Buddha's hand is highly favored by people in China and abroad, especially the Chisong golden Buddha's hand of Jinhua, Zhejiang, because Chisong Township is the true source place where Huang Daxian attained the Dao and became an immortal; therefore the people of Chisong call it "immortal fruit" and offer it to Huang Daxian. Today, friends and merchants from Hong Kong, China, Macao, China, Taiwan, China, Singapore and other places who come here to travel and pay homage to the immortal all regard it as a treasure, bringing the immortal fruit as a gift for relatives and friends to show auspiciousness and good luck.