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Grapefruit

Citrus × aurantium, Rutaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called Bergamot, Bergamot Orange, bigarade, Bigarade Orange, bitter orange, Citrus bergamia, Cleopatra mandarin, marmalade orange, Seville Orange and sour orange.

Grapefruit (Citrus × aurantium), the whole plant.
Dinkum, CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Grapefruit is toxic

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Toxic to people. Citrus bearing lemons or limes only: the fruit is a skin allergen and can harm skin exposed to sunlight. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it. RHS

What the sources say about its care

Sources file this plant under other names: Citrus x paradisi, Citrus x sinensis, Citrus × nobilis, Kishu mikan. Citations below point at the name its source uses.

Light
Full sun
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H3 — -5 to 1°C -5 to 1 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
Citrus bearing lemons or limes only: the fruit is a skin allergen and can harm skin exposed to sunlight. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
Water regularly, giving the soil a chance to dry out in between.
NC State Extension, filed as Citrus x aurantium · read 13 September 2026
While growing in spring and summer, water generously and mist every day. Use a citrus fertiliser all year round as directed by the manufacturer; give little water in winter.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
Use a citrus fertiliser all year round, following the manufacturer’s directions; water sparingly in winter.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
The tree grows readily from seed.
NC State Extension, filed as Citrus x aurantium · read 13 September 2026
Increase from semi-ripe cuttings or from seed, though seedlings differ from the parent type.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Under glass, mealybugs, caterpillars, aphids, fluted scale, soft scale, glasshouse red spider mite and citrus red spider mite can occur. Diseases: usually none.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

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Close view of Grapefruit (Citrus × aurantium) foliage.
Close upZeynel Cebeci, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Grapefruit (Citrus × aurantium) growing in a pot.
In a potDerbrauni, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

The bitter orange, sour orange, Seville orange, bigarade orange, or marmalade orange is the hybrid citrus tree species Citrus × aurantium, and its fruit. It is native to Southeast Asia and has been spread by humans to many parts of the world. It is a cross between the pomelo, Citrus maxima, and the wild type mandarin orange, Citrus reticulata. The bitter orange is used to make essential oil, used in foods, drinks, and pharmaceuticals. The Seville orange is prized for making British orange marmalade.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
as a cultigen from S. China
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Southeastern Asia
NC State Extension, filed as Citrus x aurantium · read 13 September 2026
SE Asia
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
subtropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
shrub or tree
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Tree; habit rounded, spreading
NC State Extension, filed as Citrus x aurantium · read 13 September 2026
Bushy (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 60–360 in; width 192–240 in
NC State Extension, filed as Citrus x aurantium · read 13 September 2026
Height 4-8 metres; spread 2.5-4 metres after 10–20 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers white; blooms in spring
NC State Extension, filed as Citrus x aurantium · read 13 September 2026
Flowers white in spring and summer
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Uses

What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.

The juice, peel and flower essential oil (neroli) have gone into skin care products for their antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties. It also gives a citrus scent to perfumes and hair care products. The fruit tastes strongly sour and bitter; its rind is boiled with sugar to make marmalade.
NC State Extension, filed as Citrus x aurantium · read 13 September 2026

Other Citrus

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.