THE GRANGO HYBRID FRUITS

THE PAPPLE, THE GRANGO AND THE BLACK GALAXY: OTHER HYBRID FRUITS

The Red Lime is the latest hybrid fruit creation to hit the UK.
Last May, supermarkets took stock of the 'papple' - a mixture of a pear and an apple.

The fruit, which is native to New Zealand, is said to taste like an apple, but has the skin and texture of a pear.

Hybrid: The 'papple' tastes like an apple, but has the skin and texture of a pear

And three months later, Marks and Spencer launched the ‘grango’ - a variety of grape that tastes of mango.
The unusual crop, which is known for its super sweet taste, is developed in south-east Spain.
It is believed to develop its sweetness from the country's warm climate - with the cooler temperatures at night giving it a firm mango-like texture
In 2011, a Washington-based fruit grower unveiled another variant of grape - the 'grapple' - which looks and crunches like a regular apple, but tastes like a grape.
The phenonenom for fruit tampering has even spread further afield, with Israeli horticulturalists creating a 'black galaxy' crossbreed of tomato which has almost-black skin.

The unusual crop, which is native to India, is known by a variety of names across the world, including a rangpur, lemandarin, canton lemon, sylhet lime and limao cravo.
It is believed to have been made by crossing a lemon with a mandarin plant.

Red Lime trees are now being sold in Britain for the first time. They can be grown in a sheltered pot on a patio area or in a tub inside a conservatory.


A spokesman from Suttons Seeds in Devon -  which has a collection of Red Lime trees on sale - said: 'This is the first time the Red Lime has been introduced to the UK as a tree that can be grown.
'The peel is reddish-orange, with large oil glands that are thin and easily removed, and the pulp has a limelike aroma.
'It is a deep orange colour with eight to 10 segments having tender walls and separating readily from each other.
'It is very juicy and has a flavour like a lime crossed with marmalade orange.'
She added: 'Small, whole fruits can be candied or pickled, but the Red Lime is not fully appreciated until it is made into marmalade.