Skip to content
CivicMapleEveryday answers, clearly mapped.
Nature

Pomela

What is pomela?

· Emily Grant

Key facts

Form Feminine of pomelo[1]
Fruit Very large citrus fruit, pear-shaped, with thick peel[1]
Tree Small citrus tree with round crown (Citrus grandis)[1]
Distribution Widely distributed in warm countries[1]
Relation Closely related to grapefruit (toranja)[1]

Pomela is the Portuguese feminine form of pomelo, used in botany to name a very large citrus fruit and the tree that produces it. It is closely related to grapefruit and is widely grown in warm countries.

Context

Pomela is the Portuguese feminine form of pomelo, used in botany to describe a very large citrus fruit and the tree that bears it [1]. The fruit is pear-shaped with a thick peel, and the tree is a small citrus with a round crown (Citrus grandis) [1]. Pomela is widely grown in warm countries and is closely related to grapefruit, though its flesh is often coarse and dry [1]. In everyday Portuguese, pomela can also be a variation of toranja, meaning grapefruit [1].

Documented claims

  • Pomela is the feminine form of pomelo in Portuguese. [1]
  • In botany, pomela refers to a very large citrus fruit and the tree that produces it. [1]
  • The fruit is pear-shaped with a thick peel and loose rind. [1]
  • Pomela is closely related to grapefruit. [1]

Questions and answers

What does a pomelo taste like?

Pomela is closely related to grapefruit, but its flesh is often coarse and dry, which affects the taste and texture [1].

Is a pomelo just a grapefruit?

No, pomela is closely related to grapefruit but is a distinct fruit; in Portuguese it can also be called toranja, but botanically it is a separate citrus [1].

Sources

  1. Pomela - Dicio, Dicionário Online de Português — dicio.com.br (retrieved August 3, 2026)

Sources last checked August 3, 2026. · More in Nature