Are there features of the tree or fruit that distinguish this variety from other mandarins? Is clemenule synonymous with clementine? I have a couple of rooted cuttings from Cuties, which according to their website could be clemenules or W.Murcott Afourer. (The fruit may not have been Cuties since the supermarket sometimes reuse their boxes.)

I noted others have reported their clemenules are starting to ripen in this thread. I'm wondering if what I have are indeed clemenules since my fruits are also turning color.

Clemenules are much like all Clementine varieties, a mutation of one clementine variety or an other. Clemenules is just a mutation of Fina. If you have one Clementine variety, you automatically have every Clementine variety. I think that all Clementines pretty much have the same taste. - Millet

So then the best way to tell whether I'm growing a clementine is by the taste of the fruit?

Thanks. I'll compare them to some store bought clementines.

Since the fruit is ripening now, would it be safe to conclude they're not W.Murcott Afourer, which I believe ripen in February?

The Nule from clemenule is the Spanish town where they have been made.

If your fruit is ripening now, most likely it is the Nules, since it does ripen first. Mine are ripening now, and I have a very young tree (which tends to ripen later than more mature trees). I have to ask you, how did you acquire rooted cuttings from the "Cuties" company?

The grocery stores in my area sell mandarins with stem and leaf attached at certain times of the year, for example Chinese New Year. I noticed they were available again just a few day's ago. If you time it right there are ones with enough material available and fresh enough to make cuttings. The ones I got a hold of came from boxes labeled as Cuties.

Oh, that was very clever of you That is not the case in California, though, due to ACP and the threat of HLB. All green materials must be removed in the packing house here. Same for all our other citrus states here in the USA.

So you're saying mandarins with stem and leaf is not available for purchase anywhere in the States and that it's for export only? According to the box the Cuties were packaged in California. Perhaps this is a recent change. Earlier this year someone in the States reported in another forum that they were able to get such mandarins.

I'm saying that if you go into the stores here in California, Arizona, Texas, S. Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, and all our "citrus states" that are under quarantine for the Asian Citrus Psyllid and/or HLB, you will not see green materials attached to your "Cutie" mandarins. If the "Cuties" company ships their mandarins to another "citrus state", no green materials are allowed to be attached, and if they are sold within the state of California (the company is located in the state of California), you will not see a stem or a leaf attached to the mandarin. Now, as to Cuties being able to ship their mandarins with a stem and leaf/leaves attached to non-citrus growing states, not sure. That may still be possible. But absolutely NOT possible if selling within the state of California, or shipping to our citrus states.

Thanks for the clarification.

Hi Junglekeeper !

Were the stems waxed ?

How you rooted them ?

I believe a light layer of wax or some type of sealant had been sprayed onto the product, possibly to prevent moisture loss in order to keep the leaves looking fresh. However this may not be any different from what regular fruit undergo; they also have some wax applied to them.

I treated the tiny sections of stem as I would with other cuttings - planted with a dusting of rooting hormone then placed under a domed tray to increase humidity.