Hi, when we purchased our property last year I noticed a sad little citrus tree that had managed to set a few fruit. Thinking they were mandarins and not yet noticing the trifoliate leaves I bit into a sour fruit and promptly spit it out. I believe that this must be some sort of citrange that overgrew the scion. There are several named varieties of citrange out there. Does anyone have a guess as to what I have?

It is thorny:


Fruit on tree:


Leaf on tree:


Cut fruit and leaf:


I have grown out seedlings from two of this year's fruit. Some look very healthy, green, and vigorous, a few look like albinos or maybe even variegated. I wonder if they will just die or turn green at some point, time will tell:


I plan to use my homegrown seedlings as my main rootstocks for most of the future citrus orchard, so it would be nice to know what I have. If not, at least this little tree is a real survivor.

Thanks!

Fruit size makes me think citrange. Swingle fruit are large navel to grapefruit sized.

Looks very close to Rusk in shape & size.

The fruits are very uniform in size and shape - they are all quite round (no neck) and the size of a small mandarin. In any event I am happy to have a rootstock seed source. I am definitely keeping this tree!

Swingle is yellow, the few seed and small orange fruit look like Rusk. IMHO

Rusk (along with Morton, Colman, Savage, Willets) was one of the early citranges developed over 100 years ago. These were never widely used as rootstocks.
In my opinion, it is much more likely you have a Carrizo or Troyer citrange.
These virtually indistinguishable varieties were frequently used as commercial rootstocks, and the fruit looks much like yours.
See
http://www.homecitrusgrowers.co.uk/citranges/usdacitranges.html
and
http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/carrizo.html

Mike/Citrange

I will have to agree with Citrange on this. Most semi-dwarf citrus trees here in California, especially those over 5 to 10 years old are on Troyer/Swingle. We are now seeing a bit of a swing over to C35 for a few reasons, but I would guess Campo has got Troyer/Swingle growing. Good, reliable semi-dwarfing rootstock for us here in California, and still widely used.

Definitely not swingle.

Laaz, why do you think it is not Swingle?

Swingle is large, almost as big as a grapefruit & shaped like a grenade... And yellow, not orange.

Well, that's definitely not the same as the photos. Interesting. I can't say we've had Rusk rootstock here ever. At least, not that I'm aware of. Or, within the last 20 years anyway. Great ID, Laaz.

Patty,
When you wrote "Troyer/Swingle" I think you meant "Troyer/Carrizo".
Swingle, as Laaz shows, is quite different.
The photos posted at the top of this thread match Carrizo.
Rusk, which we agree is unlikely anyway, is somewhat deeper orange and has fewer large seeds

Yes, sorry! NOT Swingle. Troyer/Carrizo. That's what we see here in California as the vast majority of semi-dwarf rootstock for retail trees. I have never seen Rusk, and Swingle is a standard rootstock (also very popular, but clearly not what this person has). Sorry. That's what I get for trying to do two things at once. Very familiar with Troyer/Carrizo, as it does poorly on my property due to the amount of Phytophthora we have here in our area. C35 is performing much better for me, and is more resistant. We just don't see Rusk here as a rootstock.

Thanks again everyone! I think we may be closing in on the answer. These fruit are definitely orange and quite round. This little tree is putting on a nice growth flush right now, and is about to bloom. I'll post a few pictures tonight. The seedlings are also doing well and a few of the albinos have started to turn green. I am really looking forward to budding my own trees in the future.

Happy Citrange...quite a bit of growth before any flowers open:




Seedlings are doing fine outdoors now (well, not so sure about those albinos):