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The Mexican orange (Choisya ternata) belongs to Rutaceae (the Citrus family). It is a small evergreen tree that is distributed from the southwestern United States to Mexico. It grows in calcareous soil, often found near the sea, and grows 1.2 to 2.4 meters tall. The leaves are dark green, leathery, trifoliate, and opposite. The leaflets are elliptic to oblanceolate and have an orange scent when crushed. Aromatic, star-shaped white flowers bloom in umbels at the ends of branches from late spring to early summer. The fruit is a 2- to 6-sectioned capsule. Genus name honors Jacques Denis Choisy (1799-1859), Swiss Protestant clergyman and botanist.
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