http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2009/jul/25/parent-washington-navel-orange-tree-riverside/

The Parent Washington Navel Orange Tree in Riverside

By Nathaniel Uy | Published Saturday, July 25, 2009

Those interested in seeing the tree that many believe is responsible for launching California’s successful citrus industry should take a trip to the Inland Empire. In Riverside, standing on the corner of the intersection between Magnolia and Arlington Avenue — now lost in relative obscurity — is the Parent Washington Navel Orange Tree.

The tree is one of two from which all California Navel Oranges have descended; the other died in 1921 after being transplanted to the Mission Inn in 1903. The trees came to Riverside in 1873, sent to Eliza Tibbets by William Saunders of the U.S. Department of Agriculture from Washington D.C., after originating in Bahia, Brazil. The fruit they produced were large, sweet, flavorful, seedless, and immediately became legendary.

Even though orange trees were planted in California prior to 1873, it was the birth of the navel orange variety in Riverside that sparked a citrus revolution. The citrus rush created a plethora of jobs and opportunities in agriculture, which drew attention to California’s sunny climate. As a result, hundreds of thousands of migrants and tourists came to the West Coast.

This single tree which still bears fruit was planted 136 years ago and spawned generations of other navel orange trees from its buds. It stands today in a fenced area flanked by another orange tree and a Marsh grapefruit tree, in a very unassuming location. Visitors are encouraged to appreciate the important role this Parent Tree has played in shaping the Southern California we know today.

Thanks for the post and video. Citrus Joe and I visited the Parent Washington Navel Orange Tree in Riverside. The sidewalk separating the tree form the very busy streets is quite narrow, so the cars rushing past are a bit close. The tree is on a corner where the road splits, so two very busy streets are on both sides of the tree, with a building on the back side. The University of California's Citrus Variety Collection and the Citrus Clonal Protection Program's Greenhouses (CCPP) are about a two miles away. - Millet (1,268-)

I visited the Parent Tree in 2002.
By chance this coincided with the Riverside city staff who maintain the site. Seeing my interest, they allowed me inside the railings and picked a couple of oranges for me. They were perhaps a little smaller than the average navel orange, but tasted delicious - even though probably polluted from the constant traffic.

So budwood from UCR labled "Parent Washington" would be budwood from this tree?

Not directly from the actual Parent tree, but from much later distant trees that were grown from buds taken from the Parent Washington Navel Orange tree. - Millet (1,196-)

Yes - Millet (1,195-)

Does anyone have details on the other two trees next to "Parent"?

The other two trees in the fenced area are another orange tree and a Marsh grapefruit tree. They were not planted by Mrs. Eliza Tibbets, but were added at the site at a later date. - Millet (1,194-)

Nothing worthy about them that I know. Actually, it seems quite strange that anyone would plant them at the very site with the Parent tree. - Millet (1,194-)

I live in San Diego my whole life and never saw any of this stuff.

I grew up in Fontana and remember driving by that place and once stopping and taking a look.