Last year I pollinated dozen of flowers of my potted Kucle (hybrid between kumquat and clementine) with pollen from in-ground citrumelo Swingle5*. Kucle flowers had underdeveloped stamens producing few pollen grains, so the chances for self pollination were small.

By the late November I got 6 fruits containing around 40 well formed seeds. After germination they gave 36 seedlings, all monoebryonic, very different, but mostly with stunted growth.

Nevertheless, by now I have 17 potted plants:



Seven of them are showing for the moment an obvious poncirus heritage:




It will probably take years to grow them to maturity, but I am getting a lot of fun.

It's always good when you are sure you've produced a genuine hybrid - and those mini trifoliate leaves are certain proof.
I hope you are a bit better than I am when it comes to keeping these seedlings growing. My greenhouse is littered with pots of half-forgotten hybrid attempts - many with the labels missing. And I am always reluctant to test their frost-hardiness outside the greenhouse because I know most will not survive.
An interesting cross - so please don't get cured of your 'citrus disease' before they fruit!
Mike/Citrange

Very cool hybrids.

Thank you Mike,
I understand what you mean, but at least for the next year I am quite confident since this season was very bad for hybridizing, severe late winter frost, rotten spring, so I managed to secure only few crosses.
That means I shall concentrate on many interesting hybrids I got past seasons.
As a safe proof for keeping those hybrids alive I am also trying to distribute them all over the world, hoping that they will survive me (or my engagement in winter hardy citruses).

ilyaCKucletrumelo -Now that's a tongue twister! Nice work creating your hybrid. At one point I created a Ujukitsu x Edible flying dragon but like some of Citrange's hybrids it got lost in the mix, forgotten and I never was able to grow it to maturity. Good luck keeping yours growing and hopefully one of your seedlings turns out to be very hardy and fruits for you sooner rather than later.

You could call it Citrus lutetiana!

Great work Ilya!
/Robert

It's very interesting!
A high graft in Swingle 5* krone probably will survive. Next two winters unlikely will be cold. And then we will know the taste of the hybrid.

very interesting trial, keep us updated!

Nice plants !

I doubt if grafted parts of them will fruit sooner, but surely they would have a better chance to survive ...

Thank you guys.
Last two years I produced some other interesting hybrids using Swingle 5* citrumelo.
It is amazing how it is fertile in both directions and as a mother is giving mostly embryonal seedlings.
Probably because of this I have now rather stretched breeding goal: edible, early harvest, Northern zone 7-8 hardy plants growing on their own roots.
We shall see if it is possible.

Great !

As I am in Vienna in 7a/7b, I wish you success and hope you pass me a plant then ..

Awesome!

Please keep us posted with your hybrids news.

great job. keep us posted with pictures

Great pictures.

Not having a trifoliate leaf does not necessarily mean it is not a cross.

I planted seed from a trifoliate hybrid that was probably self pollinated. Out of 10 plants from one fruit, 3 were monofoliate.

Just curious HardyVermont, what kind of trifoliate hybrid was the seed parent? Clearly it was capable of setting a decent percent of zygotic seeds.
Thanks,
Greg

Thanks for the post/pics...great fun!