Citrus paradisi Chimera
1913
Imagine biting into a grapefruit and finding a surprise stripe of green—that's exactly what Ellen Isham Schutt captured in this 1913 botanical illustration. Commissioned by the famous plant explorer David Fairchild, this piece documents a 'chimera' grapefruit, a rare genetic mutation where a green pummelo branch grafted onto a yellow grapefruit tree produced this two-toned fruit. Schutt's meticulous cross-section reveals the pale, juicy interior, proving that sometimes nature's glitches are the most beautiful subjects for scientific art.
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