Citrus Growers Forum

mrtexas · Posted: Sat 02 Oct, 2010 9:22 pm

I get one of these flying dragon trifoliate hybrids very rarely, maybe one per year out of hundreds of seedlings. Must be a citrange. Notice the extra long, thin and curvy thorns. This one has all trifoliate leaves.

It reminds me of the hybrid flying dragon that Bonnie Childers grew out to fruiting in his back yard. I had a large grafted one and the fruit was barely edible. It died when I tried to topwork it to satsuma after hurricane Rita knocked the graft off.

Millet · Posted: Sun 03 Oct, 2010 12:02 am

Phil, unless I am not looking at it correctly, the thorns don't seem extra long, thin and curvy thorns. To me they look rather straight. To me it looks like a Trifoliate Orange but not the FD. If I'm not seeing what you are trying to show, please help me out. - Millet (834-)

mrtexas · Posted: Sun 03 Oct, 2010 12:42 pm

Millet wrote:

Phil, unless I am not looking at it correctly, the thorns don't seem extra long, thin and curvy thorns. To me they look rather straight. To me it looks like a Trifoliate Orange but not the FD. If I'm not seeing what you are trying to show, please help me out. - Millet (834-)

The differences are subtle when the plant is small(hybrid on the right). When the tree gets mature the thorns are as long as 2inches and oftentimes curve back on themselves. I've only seen the hybrid maybe 3 or 4 times in the 6-8 years I've been growing out seedlings.

This thorn variation is what I base my experience of % hybrids of flying dragon being so small when Dr Manners keeps saying it is more than half. Perhaps the consistent looking rootstocks actually only dwarf 50% of the time? I have 3 trees with FD rootstock all grown/grafted at the same time and one is 4x bigger than the others. Tree on the left is at least 4x the size of the one on the right. The one on the right is also about 8 feet closer to the camera. I've about decided I'm not so hot on FD rootstock as the amount of fruit is also so much less even after waiting 8 years!

There is also one other FD variation I've seen even fewer times. The tree is extremely stunted to a few inches and the leaves are very dense on the branches with a more horizontal growth pattern.

Millet · Posted: Sun 03 Oct, 2010 2:33 pm

OK, I see. Thank you. I had one the other day where the thorn grew out and then produced a couple leaves at the end of the thorn. Unusual, but then thorns are actually just modified leaves. - Millet (833-)

Sylvain · Posted: Tue 05 Oct, 2010 7:02 am

> thorns are actually just modified leaves.
You probably mean modified branch, because it wears leaves and can even flowers.

Millet · Posted: Tue 05 Oct, 2010 12:09 pm

Sylvain, I actually meant that thorns are modified leaves.. I read it some where in one of my books. If I ever locate the source again I will be happy to post it. - Millet (831-)

Sylvain · Posted: Tue 05 Oct, 2010 5:51 pm

It must (might) be a mistake. A leave cannot wear other leaves or flowers.
And we are many to have experiment the growth of leaves or flowers at the end of a thorn.

Millet · Posted: Tue 05 Oct, 2010 8:14 pm

Well as with anything that happens in this world, there is always a possibility, remote or not, of error. If I ever run across it again, I will report. However, I have 40 + or - books just on citrus. - Millet (831-)

GregMartin · Posted: Wed 26 Dec, 2012 9:40 pm

Quote:

There is also one other FD variation I've seen even fewer times. The tree is extremely stunted to a few inches and the leaves are very dense on the branches with a more horizontal growth pattern.

Phil, I have a few of these extremely stunted FDs that came from the fruits you sent me. I was just curious, do they survive ok, or do they end up being unhealthy? They seem to have extremely short internodes. Funny little critters.

mrtexas · Posted: Wed 26 Dec, 2012 9:58 pm

GregMartin wrote:

Quote:

There is also one other FD variation I've seen even fewer times. The tree is extremely stunted to a few inches and the leaves are very dense on the branches with a more horizontal growth pattern.

Phil, I have a few of these extremely stunted FDs that came from the fruits you sent me. I was just curious, do they survive ok, or do they end up being unhealthy? They seem to have extremely short internodes. Funny little critters.

I've never tried to grow one! I would now though!

GregMartin · Posted: Wed 26 Dec, 2012 10:03 pm

mrtexas wrote:

GregMartin wrote:

Quote:

There is also one other FD variation I've seen even fewer times. The tree is extremely stunted to a few inches and the leaves are very dense on the branches with a more horizontal growth pattern.

Phil, I have a few of these extremely stunted FDs that came from the fruits you sent me. I was just curious, do they survive ok, or do they end up being unhealthy? They seem to have extremely short internodes. Funny little critters.

I've never tried to grow one! I would now though!

If they survive until spring and you want one I'll be happy to get one in the mail to you. Least I can do. Thanks again for the seeds.

Hershell · Posted: Thu 27 Dec, 2012 1:09 am

Thorn with a branch example

_________________
Hershell
Nothing in the world takes the place of growing citrus.

Millet · Posted: Thu 27 Dec, 2012 1:18 am

Sylvain, I'm glad this post came back up. I stand corrected, and agree that you were correct all along. Thorns are modified branches. - Millet