Durian is classified under the genusDuriowithin the Malvaceae family , commonly know as the mallow or hibiscus class , though it was historically place in the Bombacaceae family before taxonomic revisions . The most widely recognized species isDurio zibethinus , native to Borneo and Sumatra , and the primary type swap globally . There are 30 recognizedDuriospecies , with at least nine give rise eatable yield , includingDurio kutejensisandDurio graveolens . The name “ Durio zibethinus ” comes from the Malay word “ duri , ” meaning thorn , reflecting its spiky exterior . This genus is part of the Durioneae tribe , alongside relate genera likeBoschiaandCullenia , discern by flowered and fruit traits such as spiny husks and fleshy arils .
Durian ’s history stretch back to prehistorical Southeast Asia , where it has been consumed for millennia , though it only enter Western awareness about 600 yr ago . The early European record come from Niccolò de ’ Conti , a 15th - hundred Italian traveller to Sumatra , followed by elaborate description in Garcia de Orta ’s 1563 work and Georg Eberhard Rumphius ’s 1741Herbarium Amboinense , which remained classic for over a 100 . in all probability originating in Borneo , durian spread across Southeast Asia , reaching Sri Lanka via Portuguese introduction in the sixteenth hundred and later the Americas , though mostly trammel to botanical gardens there . Indigenous community tame it at the village level since at least the late eighteenth century , with commercial-grade production go up in the mid-20th century , fueled by growing demand in ASEAN countries since the 1990s due to regional successfulness .
Durian tree are evergreen , growing 20 - 50 meters tall with dense , irregular tip and glossy , oblong leaves . The yield , a large loculicidal capsule , measure up to 30 atomic number 96 long and 15 cm all-encompassing , count 1 - 3 kg , with a light-green - to - brown , thorn - cover husk that protects a creamy , custard - like flesh . This shape varies in color — pale yellow , livid , red , or orange — calculate on the species or cultivar . The smell is infamously nipping , often compare to molder onions , sewerage , or gum terpentine , triggered by sulfur compound , though some chance it pleasantly sweet . The sense of taste is complex and dissentious : a rich blend of sweet cream , caramel brown , and vanilla , with hints of almond , garlic , or cheeseflower , and occasional bitterness or tartness in some change . Edible seeds , when roasted , add a nutty sapidity . Over 300 cultivar exist , like Thailand ’s Mon Thong or Malaysia ’s Musang King , each with insidious differences .
Durio zibethinusand other durian species thrive in tropical climate , well suited to USDA zona 10 - 12 , where temperatures stick around above 70 ° F ( 21 ° C ) class - beat and frost is absent . They take eminent humidity ( 75 - 85 % ) and annual rainfall of at least 1500 mm , with a ironic patch of 1 - 2 calendar month to trigger unfolding . In zona 9b-10 , they can grow with protection ( e.g. , greenhouses ) if started indoors and transplant after frost jeopardy , but fruiting is less authentic below 22 ° C ( 72 ° fluorine ) intermediate day-after-day temperature . Native to Southeast Asia ’s rainforests , durian struggle above 600 - 900 meters elevation or in waterlogged soils , prefer deep , well - drain loam . polish outside these zones , such as in share of Australia or Hawaii , involve punctilious mood control .
