Bizzaria
Encyclopedia
The Bizzaria of Florence
, which is probably the first plant chimera
obtained, is a graft between the florentine citron
and sour orange. It produces branches of regular Florentine Citron
including such leaves, and from the other side branches of sour orange. The most interesting part of it is the middle shoot, which mixes characteristics of both. The fruit contains characteristics of both citron and orange.
This is not like a regular hybrid which is due to plant sexuality
; its offspring is intermediate showing influences of both parents. But the Florentine Bizzaria, named after its origin, shows an unusual fruit which has both characteristics distinctly expressed in close proximity.
The Bizzaria was discovered by Pietro Nati at the Villa
named Torre degli Agli, which belonged to the wealthy Panciatichi banking family. The Bizzaria was thought to be lost when it was rediscovered in year 1970s by Paolo Galleotti, the head gardener of the Villa di Castello
and of The Boboli Gardens in Florence.
The plant's name has a number of different spellings, e.g. Bizaria, Bizzarria, Bizarria, and even Bizarre.
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, which is probably the first plant chimera
Chimera (plant)
Chimeras in botany are usually single organisms composed of two genetically different types of tissue. They occur in plants, on the same general basis as with animal chimeras...
obtained, is a graft between the florentine citron
Citron
Not to be confused with Cintron.The citron is a fragrant citrus fruit, botanically classified as Citrus medica by both the Swingle and Tanaka systems...
and sour orange. It produces branches of regular Florentine Citron
Florentine citron
The citron of Florence is a very fragrant citrus fruit, which is named after its most known origin of cultivation.-History:It was first carefully described by Johann Christoph Volkamer in his Hesperides as well as by others....
including such leaves, and from the other side branches of sour orange. The most interesting part of it is the middle shoot, which mixes characteristics of both. The fruit contains characteristics of both citron and orange.
This is not like a regular hybrid which is due to plant sexuality
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
; its offspring is intermediate showing influences of both parents. But the Florentine Bizzaria, named after its origin, shows an unusual fruit which has both characteristics distinctly expressed in close proximity.
The Bizzaria was discovered by Pietro Nati at the Villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
named Torre degli Agli, which belonged to the wealthy Panciatichi banking family. The Bizzaria was thought to be lost when it was rediscovered in year 1970s by Paolo Galleotti, the head gardener of the Villa di Castello
Villa di Castello
The Villa di Castello is one of the Medici villas near Florence, Tuscany, central Italy. Its ideal design appears in a lunette painted by Giusto Utens in 1599. The property was purchased by Lorenzo de'Medici in 1477 on the site of an existing building which he had rebuilt...
and of The Boboli Gardens in Florence.
The plant's name has a number of different spellings, e.g. Bizaria, Bizzarria, Bizarria, and even Bizarre.