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. There are 30 recognized species in the genus Durio, but only nine produce edible fruit.

Taxonomy
Durio sensu lato has 30 recognised species. Durio sensu stricto comprises 24 of these species. 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 in the tribe Durioneae, 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 is placed by some taxonomists in the family Bombacaceae, or by others in a broadly defined Malvaceae that includes Bombacaceae, and by others in a smaller family of just seven genera, Durionaceae.

Durio is often 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 30 recognized species in the genus Durio, but only nine produce edible fruit. Durian 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, repulsive 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 color 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 odor that is strong and penetrating, even when the husk is intact. The smell, depending on the person, evokes rotting onions, turpentine, or even sewage. The persistence of its odor 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 odor of the tropical fruit, transported in the hold.

Species

 * 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 grandiflorus Kosterm. & Soegeng
 * 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 testudinars Becc.
 * Durio wyatt-smithii Kosterm.
 * Durio zibethinus L.