http://www.lohud.com/article/20091205/LIFESTYLE01/912050304/1030/LIFESTYLE/Spotlight-Calamondin-orange-tree

Spotlight: Calamondin orange tree

By Bill Cary • wcary@lohud.com • December 5, 2009


The foliage of the variegated calamondin orange tree is attractive year-round, and the sour,
juicy fruit is edible. As a bonus, the blossoms are extremely fragrant. (Bill Cary/The Journal News)

One year I asked for a key lime tree for Christmas. Apparently, lots of other people did, too, because what I got instead was a variegated calamondin orange tree. It was the only citrus tree available in mid-December at Logee's Greenhouses, a favorite source for tropicals in Danielson, Conn.

I use the word "tree" advisedly because it arrived as mostly just a stick in a very small pot. But it's grown well over time and I'm quite fond of it now.

The first few years the tree just bloomed once in April and then produced a tiny orange or two in the summer. Now it blooms and fruits continuously, with about a dozen oranges the size of a small round lime at any given time.

The blossoms smell divine — just like that heady sweet scent you get when driving near a Florida orange grove in winter.

Known botanically as Citrus x citrofortunella mitis "Variegata," this sweet little fruit tree stays fairly small, just 1 to 3 feet tall as a houseplant.

As its name suggests, it has variegated foliage in soft cream and green shades. The leaves remain attractive year-round.

Many people enjoy the tree solely for its ornamental value, but those sour, juicy oranges are also edible.

They are used primarily for cooking, especially in the Philippines, and to make preserves. They';re also a nice twist or wedge in cocktails that call for lemons, limes or oranges.

Give citrus trees as much sun as you've got. I put my calamondin orange tree outdoors — on a screened porch to keep critters away — for the first time this past summer and it seemed quite happy.

This Christmas, maybe I'll try again for that key lime tree, if only to keep it company.