In History of the Citrus Institute, Professor Thomas B. Mack talks about how the citrus department was always trying to expand their audience past citrus majors and hit all sectors of campus life while engaging all students in one way or another. In the 1960s to 1980s, the citrus department created a “Plant of the Day” display that was placed between the citrus and physics wings. Chimeras were one of the most popular sites on display because of their humorous appearance. The citrus department created this display as an attempt to reach out and connect to the larger student body that were not involved with the citrus department.
A chimera is a mutant that results from an organism that has cells where two different genes are present causing them to both be expressed in the cell. This can be seen in a variety of organisms; for example, a rose can be half red and half white because it has both genes that are coding for the color white and for the color red being expressed.
A chimera is also different from a hybrid because of how the cells are oriented. A hybrid is an organism that has genes from two different species coexisting within one cell while a chimera has genes from two different species existing in separate cells. This means the tissue, the body of the cells, in a chimera are made from genes of two different organisms.
A specific chimera collected in the citrus department had an usually large section making it resemble a cantaloupe. As an April Fool’s prank, the department decided to name it the Orange-A-Loupe and convinced non-citrus majors they had created a cross between an orange and a cantaloupe, an impossible feat. Along with the Orange-A-Loupe, there were several other humorous chimeras placed on display for all of campus to see.
Written by Tanzy Zviitwah, Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Fellow
In partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center
Fall 2023
--
Source:
Mack, Thomas B. History of the Citrus Institute, Florida Southern College, 1947-1993. Lakeland, Florida: Florida Southern College, 1993.
