Durio

''Durio'' is a genus of plants in the family Malvaceae. Several species produce an edible fruit known as durian, the most common species being ''Durio zibethinus'', with eight others producing edible fruit.

Taxonomy

Early works describe ''Durio sensu lato'', which had 30 recognised species, with ''Durio sensu stricto'' comprising 24 of them. The 6 additional species included in ''Durio s.l.'' are now considered by some to comprise their own genus, '' Boschia''. ''Durio s.s.'' and ''Boschia'' have indistinguishable vegetative characteristics and many shared floral characteristics. The crucial difference between the two is that anther locules open by apical pores in ''Boschia'' and by longitudinal slits in ''Durio s.s.'' These two genera form a clade that is sister to another genus, '' Cullenia''. These three genera together form a clade that is characterised by highly modified (mono- and polythecate, as opposed to bithecate) anthers. The genus ''Durio'' had been placed in the family Bombacaceae, and by other authorities in a smaller family of just seven genera, Durionaceae; this is now recognised as the tribe Durioneae.

''Durio'' was included in Bombacaceae because of the presence of monothecate anthers, as opposed to the bithecate anthers common to the rest of the mallows (and angiosperms, in general). However, the first studies to examine mallow phylogeny using molecular data found that the tribe Durioneae should be placed in the subfamily Helicteroideae of an expanded Malvaceae. The authors of these studies hypothesise that monothecate anthers have most likely evolved convergently in Durioneae and in the Malvatheca clade (comprising Malvaceae s.l. subfamilies Malvoideae and Bombacoideae).

Description

There are 29 recognised species in the genus ''Durio'', but only nine produce edible fruit. '' D. zibethinus'' is the only species available on the international market: the other species are sold only in their local regions. The name "durian" is derived from the Indo-Malay word "duri" which refers to the fruit's many protuberances.

Often considered the king of fruits, durian is distinguished by its large size, arresting odor, and fearsome thorny husk. The fruit can grow up to 30 centimeters long and 15 centimeters in diameter, and typically weighs one to three kilograms. Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk from green to brown, and its flesh from pale yellow to red, depending on the species.

The edible flesh emits a distinctive odour that is strong and penetrating, even when the husk is intact. The smell, depending on the person, evokes rotting onions, turpentine, or even sewage, yet to others it is welcoming and appetizing. The persistence of the smell has led to its ban in some hotels and public transport in Southeast Asia.

On March 4, 2023, a plane flying from Istanbul to Barcelona was forced to turn back because of the nauseating odour of the tropical fruit, transported in the hold.

Species

''Plants of the World Online'' currently (2025) includes:

# '' Durio acutifolius'' (Mast.) Kosterm.
# '' Durio affinis'' Becc.
# '' Durio beccarianus'' Kosterm. & Soegeng.
# '' Durio bukitrayaensis'' Kosterm.
# '' Durio burmanicus'' Soegeng.
# '' Durio carinatus'' Mast.
# '' Durio crassipes'' Kosterm.
# '' Durio dulcis'' Becc.
# '' Durio excelsus'' (Korth.) Bakh.
# ''Durio graveolens'' Becc.
# '' Durio griffithii'' (Mast.) Bakh.
# '' Durio kinabaluensis'' Kosterm & Soegeng
# ''Durio kutejensis'' Hassk. & Becc.
# '' Durio lanceolatus'' Mast.
# '' Durio lissocarpus'' Mast.
# '' Durio lowianus'' Scort. & King
# ''Durio macrantha'' Kosterm.
# '' Durio macrolepis'' Kosterm.
# '' Durio macrophyllus'' Ridl.
# '' Durio malaccensis'' Planch.
# '' Durio mansoni'' (Gamble) Bakh.
# '' Durio oblongus'' Mast.
# '' Durio oxleyanus'' Griff.
# '' Durio pinangianus'' Ridl.
# '' Durio purpureus'' Kosterm. & Soegeng.
# '' Durio singaporensis'' Ridl.
# '' Durio testudinarius'' Becc.
# '' Durio wyatt-smithii'' Kosterm.
# ''Durio zibethinus'' L.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2309085

Malvaceae genera
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus