Here's some more, from Monterey Citrus Nursery. Just scroll down in the link until you see Citrus sp. and hybrids topic.
http://www.montereybaynsy.com/C.htm
Thanks to Nancy Garrison of CRFG Santa Clara Valley, and Master Gardener for pointing this treasure of information to us. Here's the unformatted text of that section:
Citrus sp. and hybrids -- trees and shrubs, the commonly recognized varieties apparently originating in Asia as three root species, and radiating over thousands of years into the spectrum of hybrids and selections we now enjoy. Recent genetic analysis seems to reveal that the original species were the citron (C. medica), mandarin (C. reticulata), and pummelo (C. grandis or C. maxima). All other common citrus types appear to be hybrids and mutations of these original three types. Some, such as the mandarins, have been sold commercially for over 2300 years. We offer a range of common as well as new and quite different (or at least infrequently available) types for home gardeners and landscapers. We would like to be your source for new introductions in this line just as you have come to look to us for new and improved selections in ornamentals.
We don't have a large inventory but since we only serve independent retailers and those landscapers with the most discriminating taste we like to think we are raising just the right amount. I personally have always been interested in citrus, as a grower and consumer, and have previous experience buying and selling them in a retail setting as well as growing them at home. There is much to know when trying to figure out what a customer wants, what they can grow successfully, proper climate/siting considerations and best growing techniques. I have tried to address those homeowner and retail issues within the descriptions.
One of the nicest things about citrus is that they are very low care fruit trees compared to stone fruits. They need essentially no yearly pruning except for size control, after fruiting. Some, primarily mandarins and their hybrids, will need fruit stripped every other year to lessen their often strong tendency to alternate-bear, but that is about it. ?? from Windmill Nursery in Carmichael, for example, merely recommends his customers make a yearly check to see whether or not ants are working the tree, planting scale. If not, then almost nothing needs to be done except to water and fertilize. The effort/reward ratio is extremely high with citrus.
Classification
In general I follow the UCR classification system, with my own spin. As far as some of the interesting new hybrids coming available, I am often asked by retail nursery buyers "So, is this a grapefruit? Or a mandarin?" Many of the most interesting new hybrids don't fall into the older, more established citrus divisions such as "orange," "grapefruit," etc. For example, 'Cocktail' is a wonderful and mostly unknown hybrid of Siamese Sweet Pummelo by Frua Mandarin. It is thus both a pummelo hybrid and a mandarin hybrid. But it is really its own thing, and so calling it "hybrid citrus" doesn't get you any closer to forecasting what it will taste like. It is clearly not a pummelo, not a mandarin, and certainly not a grapefruit, which it is often called. So approach citrus with an open mind and be prepared to judge a variety on its own merits and shortcomings, not by its name or what you remember about whichever group it happens to be listed with.
For more information on citrus varieties UC Riverside maintains a wonderful website
http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/index.html full of information. It is well worth checking for anyone interested in pursuing citrus to any degree. A chef, Robert Lambert, at his name dot com, offers an intriguing range of reduced syrups and marmalades, including some interesting and creative blends. The very best way to enjoy your own marmalade is to either harvest your own fruit and give them to someone known for making marmalade, tithing them proportionately for the honor of receiving such treasured fruit, or even more simply, just by ordering it directly from Robert.
Flavors and Aromas
Citrus display an amazing range of variation of flavor. They are inherently genetically unstable, and are known for the regular production of branch sports and other spontaneous point mutations. Apparently all citrus carry a gene for "redness," for example, and so you can find red variants of lemons, oranges (blood oranges), pummelos, etc. popping up on a regular basis. Flavors and essences are subject to this spontaneous mutation effect as well.
Often the flavors and fragrances are complex and elusive. In many cases these aromas only become evident when the citrus is consumed in some other fashion that fresh and out of hand. For example, Calamondin Oranges make the very, very best marmalade in the universe. I know. I have tasted it. The plant and its fruit are otherwise of minor importance to cuisine or landscaping. But as marmalade the palette of extremely interesting and complex rind oils have a chance to wash across your palate and make you want to buy a pallet of plants for your yard.
Citrus are members of the Rutaceae, distinguished partly by oil glands on the leaves, stems, and fruits. They exhibit an impressive range of fragrances, ranging from floral (Bergamot "Sour Orange"), to the full range of familiar citrus (grapefruit, mandarin, lemon, lime, orange), to the exotic (Ginger Lime, Pineapple Orange, Indonesian Curry Lime). When hybridized the resulting progeny can exhibit completely novel fragrances unknown in existing cultivated types. They also exhibit modest variation in physical appearance, with many being outstanding ornamentals for either fruit (consider the Meyer Lemon, or Kumquats) or form and foliage (Variegated Calamondin, Bouquet de Fleurs Orange, Variegated Pink Eureka Lemon).
Besides being used for eating fresh, made into marmalades, for juices, and as bath scents or oils, many varieties are used for making syrups (Robert Lambert), by drying the rinds then grinding and using as a spice (Mexico, Japan), as a starter or adjivant for drinks (Mexico), or added to vodka (US, world), or added to rum (Teresa Sanchez' living room). There are a number of creative ways to use the fruits and leaves and your potential applications are limited only by your imagination.
In general the struggle with citrus is always over sweetness. As Gene Lester so aptly puts it, "The natural condition for citrus is acidic." That is how they started out, that is what all the wild citrus are, and most selection has been directed towards raising the levels of sugars and the size of the fruit.
Rootstocks
In general, C-35 (citrange) is usually more dwarfing, Carrizo (citrange) is larger, Volkameriana (Volkamer Lemon, C. volkameriana) produces the fastest growing and earliest bearing trees, Rich 16-6 trifoliate is larger also and considered good for colder climates, and sour orange, which is another larger rootstock, is in rapid decline due to susceptibility to Phytophthora. But we aren't dealing with apples here, where M26 or M111 will produce essentially the same relative results on almost all varieties. So shed the idea that you can know how a rootstock performs unless you can keep all the best rootstock/scion combinations for all the varieties straight in your head. Because C-35 and Carrizo can produce different results or incompatibilities just within a group, such as the Mandarins, or even within a subgroup, such as the between various Satsuma Mandarins. The climate, soil, understock, variety interactions are exceedingly complex and often unpredictable. Sometimes a single variety will be incompatible with a rootstock that performs great on all the others in its class. The best combinations are the result of years of observation and experience.
I have personally walked mature demonstration blocks at the Lindcove UC Research Station several times, and can verify that keeping it all the hundreds of citrus rootstock/scion results exactly straight in your head is a job for either a Vulcan or someone with way too much time on their hands. What we do offer will usually be marked on the tag. We know that the budders, whose livelihoods depend on the results, have used understocks that give the best results. If several understocks are used it is most often because they all work well and the differences, either on mature size, production, or soil/cold adaptability, are minimal.
In the images, many of the trees or closeup shots of fruit will show a whitish residue. This is simply kaolin clay, which is applied to commercial orchards as a slurry spray in late spring to act as sunscreen, shielding the plants from sunscald during the hottest, brightest parts of the summer.
Climate and Nutrition
In general, the hotter the better, they want it hot. Heat equals production of sugar plus conversion of acid to sugar. So lemons and some limes, limequats and lime substitutes don't need it hot. Another very striking characteristic of very hot summer areas is that the fruit on trees grown there is substantially redder in color. Oranges in the thermal belts of the Central Valley are red orange, whereas along the coast they barely go beyond yellow gold. And some citrus, such as 'Indio' mandarinquat, or the "Golds" ('Shasta,' 'Tahoe,' and 'Yosemite'), and many of the mandarins are almost downright red. I really feel this ornamental aspect is overlooked in most discussions of growing citrus. 'Meyer' lemon is a first class ornamental just for the showy fruit.
Citrus are regular and rather heavy feeders, though I saw when I worked in retail that it is very hard for the average home gardener to translate the commercial feeding recommendations ("2 1/2 lbs of actual nitrogen per mature tree per year") into home equivalents. That 2 1/2 lb. recommendation means about half a 20 lb. bag of ammonium sulfate. So I would get customers who put that on a newly planted 5g tree, no joke. They were just following instructions.
What is "mature size"? Standard or semidwarf size? Where do you put it, under the canopy or more spread out? All at once or in split applications? What form of nitrogen? How do you calculate 2 1/2 lbs? I saw quite a few trees partially or quite completely burned through overfertilization. If you do put on too much your leaves are going to start turning a reddish brown from the tips and margins inwards, and the only thing you can do is leach with stupid amounts of water. Even then, the nutrients are often in such a form that they are tightly adsorbed by the soil and won't be easily released, and so often all you can do is sit and watch it burn, and your "burn time" can be extensive. It is a tortuous experience. Best advice is to not go there in the first place by staying away from granules or powders until you are experienced and trees are large. I have been doing this for about forty years, and commercially for over 25 and I still use solubles on all my small and medium size plants.
My recommendation is to stick to soluble high nitrogen formulations, they can be "acid forming," until you have tested the waters carefully using dry granules or powders. The solution-applied formulations are a degree of magnitude safer, work much more quickly, and can be repeated monthly or bimonthly. The only drawback is that it starts to get expensive with large plants, but those are the most forgiving of errors. When plants start to size you can start to try dry formulations. Go to your local high quality independent nursery or garden center for quality advice from someone who knows the story.
The most common problem is trace element deficiencies, usually iron but closely followed by zinc in many soils, because zinc deficiency is common (for a nutrient deficiency, that is) in California, along with sulfur. If you are using acid forming fertilizers it will drop the soil pH and make all metals that citrus need (molybdenum, copper, iron) more available, and the sulfates in those fertilizers will help with sulfur needs. The best way to avoid a problem in the first place is not to use a fertilizer with any phosphate (or at least as low an analysis as you can find) because the phosphate ion is extremely efficient at tying up all those metals citrus crave. Should you follow that advice and still need a trace element treatment be sure to us a complete or balanced formulation which supplies all micronutrients at the proper ratio. By concentrating on one you can mess up the rest, because they often interact with each other.
Some citrus are high in acidity and need to develop quite a bit of sugar to balance it. These usually get described as "intense" or "rich." In cooler areas they can either not develop enough sweetness to really good quality or they need extended hang time, if the variety is capable of that. One reason to have both rich and mild citrus varieties in your collection is to account for yearly weather variation. In cooler years your milder citrus may shine and in the hotter years your more intense varieties may be at their peak. I have noticed quite obvious variation in flavor even in the Promised Land, Sunset Zone 9, where one would think every year was perfect. Using the AHS Heat Zone map, where I live, Santa Cruz, is AHS Zone 2 (Maine!) but in Visalia they are AHS Zone 9 (Gulf Coast, Florida down close to Miami). But even there I find my tasting standouts changing from year to year. So spread your bets. rev 2/2007
Grapefruit -- a pummelo crossed with a sweet orange, first originating in the Caribbean on Barbados around 1750. Some people love grapefruit, like me. Some people truly hate grapefruit, almost entirely because of the bitterness found in the thin membrane enclosing the segments. Pick your side. Grapefruits all need depressing amounts of heat, trust me on this. The only good thing is that all will hold until ripe, more than a year if necessary. It is possible, possible, to ripen grapefruit in Sunset zone 17, in the warmer parts, if you let your fruit hang for two years, don't mind small fruit, don't mind very thick rind, don't mind tiny interiors, and don't mind having to add extra sugar on top when you eat it. The only exception is 'Oroblanco,' which lacks acidity, and which will still need to hang more than a year, but is at least an honest possibility. The very, very best grapefruit of all is the old 'Duncan,' which isn't sold or grown anymore because it is impressively seedy. However researchers are working on a seedless version and when it comes available expect it to quickly become the favorite again, even though it isn't red. And then if they can make it red . . . .
'Flame' (Red Flame) -- on Carrizo, twelve years old -- on the tree -- sectioned -- a seedling of 'Ruby Red,' and relatively new, discovered in 1973 and available only since 1987. It is a large grower, offers the dark red coloring of the difficult to grow 'Star Ruby' and also is more cold hardy and easier to grow. Fruit ripen in winter and early spring (hot summer zones only!!) and holds very well on the tree much later, though internal color fades. They tend to be smaller in size than other grapefruits but usually seedless, and the trees are precocious and heavy bearing. The fruit hang more under the canopy of foliage and are a little better protected against freezing than some other cultivars. rev 1/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Oroblanco' -- four years old, Carrizo -- sectioned -- on the plant -- all one word, notice. This was originally promoted by UCR as the best thing for commercial citrus growers since they invented ammonium sulfate. The reality was that it has mostly been a commercial disappointment. The intent was to create a less acidic grapefruit that would let California growers compete with the South. Didn't quite work, but we reap the benefits. It was created in1958 but not released until 1980, and I well remember the anticipation surrounding its arrival. It still has great application in the home garden, since other grapefruits really only ripen properly in southern Texas, where the heat, especially nighttime heat, and winter heat, and humidity levels are all about perfect. If you aren't in southern Texas this is almost certainly the best variety for you, and if you are away from the coast at all you can get good quality fruit. It is pale yellow inside and out, and is a Siamese Sweet pummelo (almost acidless) crossed with a white tetraploid grapefruit. It has a sister seedling, 'Melogold,' which is almost identical. Both are large, often upright growers, and bear their 3-5" light yellow to yellow green fruits in winter, though they both hang very well (good thing!) to ripen longer under less than perfect conditions. I have tasted fruit from near the coast and if everything is perfect, full sun, good fertilizer and trace elements, long hang time, it is not bad but not great. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
Interesting Hybrids
'Cocktail' -- 12 years old, C-35 -- fruit sectioned -- in clusters -- Siamese Sweet Pummelo by Frua Mandarin. This is usually called a "grapefruit" because it is close to the original grapefruit cross (pummelo x sweet orange) and has a similar musky, vanilla scent to the rind, and some of the intersegmental membrane bitterness of a grapefruit. But it is yet another of the citrus often thrown into a jumbled category bin labeled "hybrid" because it represents a new direction for taste or other characteristics. It is large, usually growing to 3-4" across, almost round, with shiny, deep golden yellow to light yellow orange skin. It has a wonderful vanilla-grapefruit rind aroma that I would suspect would make great marmalade, candied peel, or syrup. To be completely "hip" (sixties lingo, means "aware of current trends") you would cut a nice, curled piece of that rind and drop it into vodka for a flavored version you can't buy off the shelf at any price. For fresh eating it is superb. This is one of the fruit I like to give to people with the comment, "This is a sample of the things coming in the New Age of citrus varieties." Peel it and section it and enjoy the interiors, which have rather large segments with a moderate number of large seeds and lots of sweet, very mild, almost acidless, fragrant, vanilla-pummelo flavor. Luis Marquez says you expect it to be sour, but it fills your mouth with warm friendliness! After consideration I have come to the conclusion that this tastes the closest to an Orange Julius of any fresh citrus I have tasted. It is soft textured and extremely juicy. I enjoy it best eaten like a pummelo (see instructions, but in short you shell out the moist vesicles) because the only drawback is that membrane bitterness, which I actually enjoy sometimes. If you hate grapefruit, try this but don't eat the segment skin. It is quite easy to peel the fruits, the thick rind comes off easily. It is quite productive, bearing its fruit in clusters, with large textured foliage and a very compact, dwarf habit to just 5-6' tall in twelve on C-35 and 6-8' on Carrizo. The fruit hold very well on the tree and so it should be an excellent variety to try in cooler areas, where it can hang until rip and doesn't have to neutralize high acidity. rev 1/2007 *NEW for 2007*
Kumquats and Primarily Kumquat-like Hybrids -- all are compact and make excellent ornamentals, in containers also. The two true kumquats, 'Nagami' and 'Meiwa,' are prone to zinc deficiency, recognized in all citrus by indistinct, somewhat blotchy veinal chlorosis, and tiny new growth that tends to emerge yellow white with very short internodes ("little leaf"). Best to treat with a complete metal/trace element mixture lest you completely screw up your soil chemistry by applying too much zinc and inducing poisoning or complex some of the other metals. As befits very cold hardy plants, kumquats are highly seasonal growers and won't move under short day conditions because they have the sense not to be producing tender growth when they may suffer freeze damage. rev 1/2007
'Indio Mandarinquat' -- on C-35 at Lindcove, 12 years old -- fruit close up -- this is a rather large, attractive and evenly shaped tree that produces far more kumquat-type fruit than you are ever going to eat. Thus it is useful that the tree is such an attractive ornamental, and very cold hardy to boot. This is the largest of the kumquat-type fruits, and the mandarin genes express themselves in the form of larger, redder fruits and larger foliage. This variety bears fruit to over 2" long by 1 1/2" wide (about three times the size of a typical kumquat), pear shaped with a small, distinct neck, deep red orange, profuse, and well displayed on the outside of the canopy. They taste very close to the sweeter of the two basic kumquat types, 'Meiwa,' but are even slightly sweeter, with low internal acidity (for a kumquat!) and a very sweet rind. They are also substantially redder than 'Meiwa,' which is really orange to golden orange depending on climate and maturity. I found this fruit to be at least as sweet at Gene Lester's (sea side of the Coast Range) as it was at Lindcove (Visalia), and just as red. Under Gene's cool conditions the plant at twelve years was just 6' high by 7' across, and very even and dense. It was sweet enough, as a completely untended, unfertilized bush, to be considered a nice little mandarin in its own right. rev 1/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Nagami' -- mature, on C-35 -- closeup -- Fortunella margarita. The most common variety, the one sold in stores. It has a moderate level of vigor but will still get the same size as more familiar citrus such as oranges, it just gets there more slowly. It has attractive, rather narrow, lance shaped leaves. It bears a heavy and quite ornamental crop of light orange fruit to about 1" long, maybe slightly longer, with conspicuous oil dots in the rind. The rind itself is sweet, full of orange flavor. The sections are sour, and the experience is all about the play of sweet and sour and aromatic orange flavoring suffusing everything. It bears better fruit inland where it gets proper heat. It has a few seeds. It is very frost hardy, to around 20F. rev 1/2007 *NEW for 2007*
Lemons and Lemon-like Varieties and Hybrids, Citrons, or "anything sour and yellow" -- ornamental wall shrub, Filoli -- lemons themselves seem to be descended from a citron, native to the foothills of the Himalayas, crossed with a sour orange. So there is really no such thing as a "true lemon." Just a "true citron." But that's okay, we know what you mean anyway. Extant varieties appear to be mutations of previous strains. They are tender, and don't take much frost, except for 'Meyer,' and the even hardier 'Yuzu' and 'Sudachi,' which aren't really lemons. Lemons are probably the most responsive citrus of all to fertilizer. They also all have noticeable, large, fragrant flowers with a scent that carries well off the plant. rev 1/2007
'Bergamot' -- fruit -- plant -- that's 'Bergamot' lemon, not 'Bergamot' sour orange, and the confusion is inescapable and unfortunate. 'Bergamot' sour orange rind supplies the floral scent of Earl Grey tea and is highly desirable for its own qualities. This, the 'Bergamot' lemon is a distinctly different lemon from most others you will see, large, to 3" across, round, very flattened, with a distinctive post-like stub of the flower remaining on the calyx end of the fruit. It has a flowery, perfumy, intensely lemony, and complex, herbal-like rind aroma. The scent is sharper and not as sweet as that of 'Bergamot' sour orange. The plant is upright, quite open, moderately heavy bearing. It can be used for all lemon applications. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Fingered Citron' ('Buddha's Hand') -- closeup -- in arrangement, HortiFair -- mature plant -- I like this fruit. Its highest value is just to use its giant, hand-like fruits for display, to put in a bowl on the table in your kitchen or living room, and impress people with. They are even amazing when they first emerge from the very large flowers. When just used for display the fruit will give off this incredible lemon-vanilla-bubble bath fragrance that will scent a room, plus they are such incredibly odd shaped things that you just can't resist constantly picking them up for closer observation and inhaling the wonderful fragrance. They could certainly be used like Yuzus, for scenting bath water, and the rind might stand in for lemon in some cases, where its exceptionally perfumy smell would be a benefit (baked goods?). A little bit goes a long way. I have never heard of it being used for marmalade, and would guess it would be far too floral to use pure, by itself, but it would make an interesting experiment. It matures in late fall and holds until about late January, though a few late fruit will continue on the plant until March. It is not frost hardy, and can only be grown without protection where you can grow 'Lisbon' or 'Eureka' lemons. Strangely, the large flowers are not very fragrant. Like all citrons, it is a gawky, awkward hard to handle shrub, with open, reaching growth. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Lisbon' -- as floral decorations, HortiFair -- a seedling from fruit of Portuguese origin. This is the best lemon to plant if you want "true lemon" flavored fruit, as they call it, and you have the climate to pull it off. If you buy a lemon at the store this is almost certainly what you will get. It has a much more regular, pleasing form in the garden than its close competitor, 'Eureka,' which is a gawky, hard to handle mess. Lisbon also protects its fruit better from frost by holding them mostly inside the leaf canopy. 'Eureka' is classified as everbearing, but in the end 'Lisbon' produces just as much fruit, set in two major flowerings in spring and fall, and scattered bloom the rest of the year, and the fruit hold forever on the tree, so you won't lack for lemons with 'Lisbon.' And it is a much nicer plant to look at or live with. My own mature plant set so much fruit that I had one lucky-to-be-alive person regularly stealing them (also our persimmons), and selling them to local restaurants and markets, and we still always had enough (of the lemons, anyway). The fruit are ready to use when just turning yellow but I prefer them after they have held for a while and become deeper yellow. At that point the acidity is lower and the flavors are higher, leading to a richer lemon experience. Even russetted fruit are perfectly acceptable, though shippers would never send them to market. Starts to show damage below about 30F and really, really doesn't like going below 25F, showing its displeasure with extensive branch dieback, blackened leaves, broad, dead cankers on the trunk that ooze amber sap like open wounds, and other disgusting and unpleasant to look at symptoms. Young trees characteristically concentrate on growing for a year or two before they settle down and start to bear fruit. rev 1/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Meyer' -- closeup -- mature plant at UCR Lindcove Research Station -- fragrant flowers -- this extremely popular, presumed orange (or mandarin)-lemon hybrid was found growing in a cold area of China. For all the importance and mystery of this clone it is interesting no one has yet bothered with any genetic analysis to determine its true origins. It is always a compact, wide spreading plant, usually to no more than 4-5' tall by 8-10' wide at full, unpruned maturity. It is highly ornamental because of the heavy production of dark golden yellow fruit. Its compact habit, relatively small size, and heavy everbearing nature combine to make it a fine, fine container specimen, even in small containers. The flavor is mostly lemon, with orange-like components, it is sweet enough to eat by itself when grown in hotter inland locations, and along the coast if left to hang long enough, and it is craved by many. One of its strongest attributes is its copious production of juice. Another is that the fruit will hold up to a year in cool climates and is still good and usable at that age. Some find it not lemon enough to be a "true lemon" (which of course you know doesn't exist) and have no use for it. You are either in one camp or the other, if you have the climate to choose which lemon you grow. For those in colder climates though it represents one of the only options, since it will take temperatures to near 20F and still survive, where the other lemons are dead toast. It is a spectacular bearer, enough to be a first rate ornamental for the fruit display alone. In the Central Valley or other very hot-summer areas the fruit mature to almost orange. This variety has famously showy and fragrant flowers. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Seedless' ('Seedless Lisbon') -- mature plant, never pruned, on Carrizo -- fruit -- usually sold as 'Seedless Lisbon' but not derived from 'Lisbon.' The fruit and tree are so close you would think so though. All the same fine flavor and growth characteristics, but without the seeds. Strongly acid, high fragrance, on a robust and fast growing plant, a shameless 12' tall by 15' across at full maturity. Determined pruning can keep it at half that size. Like 'Lisbon' it can take a year or two to settle down and start producing fruit. Produces fewer lemons than the regular 'Lisbon,' but that is still certainly a peck more than you can ever use anyway. rev 1/2007 *NEW for 2007!*
'Variegated Pink Eureka' -- mature plant, zone 9 -- foliage -- fruit -- sectioned -- this interesting sport of 'Eureka' bears highly variegated foliage, with leaves broadly margined in ivory and splashed and streaked with ivory and light jade green. It also bears quite ornamental fruit, striped yellow and green when young, with salmon pink interiors. It isn't quite a clean enough pink to make proper Pink Lemonade by itself, but it is a start, and it has "true lemon" flavor. The tree's highly attractive color and form weigh heavily in making it a superior garden subject to the regular 'Eureka,' which is a gawky, difficult-to-control, vigorous grower. It doesn't produce quite as heavily but since it still provides probably a factor of ten times more fruit than the average homeowner can use anyway, its ornamental qualities makes it much more valuable. The variegated foliage tends to restrict branch growth and this variant is a handsome and shapely subject, much smaller than the straight green 'Eureka.' This variety is really a valuable landscape item in its own right, citrus or not. It is clean and striking and pleasant to view. The deep purple new growth makes for a tricolor effect and it is really good in containers too. As you can maybe tell, I like this variety a lot. The fact it produces such interesting and worthwhile fruit is just glazing on the lemon tart. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Yuzu' -- sections -- fruit on tree -- untended tree -- Citrus junos, or C. ichangensis x C. reticulata v. austera. "Yuzu" is actually the common name of the fruit, not a true varietal moniker, but we will use it as such anyway. It is a very cold hardy lemon-like fruit grown and favored by the Japanese, and mostly used for cooking, where rind and juice are called for. This falls into an interesting group of Japanese citrus known as Ichandarins (along with the fruits known as Iyokan, Sudachi, and Kabosu), all of which have intriguing rind aromas. It tastes close to a 'Lisbon' lemon but has a few minor fragrances that set it apart, principally that it can have a pleasantly musky, pummelo smell under certain conditions and an almost spicy herbal fragrance under others. Of course to the Japanese nothing else compares, who use it in a number of ways including drying the rind to use as a spice. It can be used in almost any recipe calling for lemon. The fruit tend to be very seedy, though, so fleshy sections are going to be problematic, though for juice it will be fine except you will need many. This fruit can be dropped into your bath, after you poke holes in it, as a kind of aromatherapy, especially for your traditional winter solstice bath. Makes you smell lemony fresh! One of its big advantages is that it is very cold hardy, and would make a better lemon substitute than 'Meyer' if you aren't a 'Meyer' fan. It ripens in late winter in California. This is another potentially interesting vodka flavoring candidate. rev 1/2007 *NEW for 2007*
Limes and Truly Lime-like Varieties
'Bearss' (Persian) -- sectioned -- fruit on the branch -- semidwarf, 12 years old -- Gene Lester's -- this is actually best known as 'Persian,' because Bearss didn't really have anything to do with its origin. This is usually sold primarily as a 'Mexican' lime substitute, and it can serve for that, but it properly should be considered as a moderately acidic citrus originally selected for fresh eating by Middle Easterners. Under very hot conditions and warm nights it lower in acidity than we find in California. It has a more delicate, sweeter flavor than 'Mexican' lime, is less acidic, yellow to yellow green at maturity with pale yellow, seedless flesh, is larger (to 2"), and is slightly hardier to frost. Some people incorrectly assume this is a hybrid between a lemon and a lime, and they aren't far off as far as to where aroma and acidity fall. For some this is a perfectly acceptable lime substitute, larger and more substantial than Eustis Limequat, and truer in flavor than 'Tavares' Limequat. Makes a decent container plant but gets large, so needs regular pruning. This variety inherently carries a disease called Wood Pocket, and starts to decline after about 15 years. If you have the climate to grow "true" lemons, you can grow this. rev 1/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Eustis Limequat' -- sectioned -- 10 year old plant -- on the branch -- I am keeping this where it should be properly considered, not with the kumquats. This is an enormously useful little dynamo, almost completely ignored and definitely under-appreciated. They are passable as a kumquat, but with acid lime/sweet lime rind flavor as opposed to orange/orange in true kumquats. And honestly the rind never gets as wonderfully sweet as it can in kumquats. But its true value lies in application as a lime substitute: it may be the best lime-type citrus you can grow after 'Mexican' lime, which is iffy or worse in most of California for frost reasons, as well as a gigantic plant even on dwarfing rootstocks. I consider this one of the best citrus of all for home gardens, because it produces so much fruit from such a small plant and it can be tucked in almost anywhere. It bears clouds of small, 3/4" - 1" wide by 1" - 1 3/4" long fruit, almost as big as real limes, that turn medium yellow at full maturity. When used as they just start to turn from green they have an intense, true lime flavor, with about the same acidity in cooler areas and only slightly less where summers are very warm. In fact it is my opinion that this fruit is at least twice as strong in lime flavor as true limes themselves. So it is a better lime than a lime. It makes killer limeade, killer, quite intense, and equally killer Margaritas. You don't need Margarita mix, you just need to mix equal amounts of Eustis Limequat juice and Tequila, with a splash of Triple Sec to taste, and ice. Once you taste one you are going to need a row of these little trees. Another of its higher uses is in Gin and Tonic. If you need lime sections for other uses, slice the real small ones slice lengthwise, and use halves instead of quarters where called for. But often the larger fruit approach Mexican limes in size anyway. Seeds are minimal. It can take about as much frost as a kumquat, which is lots (24-25F?) and keeps on producing, though it will lose fruit below 27F. It is equally at home on the coast or inland. By all rights it should be wildly popular: it is climatically adaptable and cold hardy (grows pretty near anywhere), it fruits heavily and consistently and year-round, it is pale green inside (never underestimate the importance of color on perceived flavor!), it tastes as good or better than a real lime, it has that same, wonderfully spicy, almost allspice-like true lime rind aroma, it has few seeds, it is small and dense and attractive and willowy, and it can be grown handily in almost any size container. But almost no one seems to know about it. I sold quite a few when I worked in retail, and I never had a dissatisfied customer come back. In comparison, consider the competition: the 'Rangpur' is just a really sour orange, very good for some uses, but a variety that completely lacks true lime flavor essences; the 'Bearss' is really a sweet lime bred for eating fresh, is more like a lemon than a lime, isn't properly acidic for many uses or green enough inside, or out, at maturity, or quite good enough match for 'Mexican' lime flavorwise, and it is still pretty tender; the Tavares limequat is slightly larger, but the wrong color (yellow orange at maturity, yellow inside) and has stronger orange/kumquat flavor that tends to overwhelm the lime essence. Buy a 'Eustis' and be happy! rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Makrut' ('Kuffre') -- young leaf detail -- mature foliage -- mature plant (left) -- fruit -- Citrus hystrix. Very, very improperly called "Kaffir" lime by most. But "Kaffir" is an almost always derogatory Afrikaans word from South Africa, confused with one of its real Indonesian names. The best name is its other, more common Indonesian name, 'Makrut,' which doesn't sound like anything else. The attractive leaf is large, broad, rather strange and tropical looking, being divided into two almost pieces, a proximal lobe and larger distal lobe. It has value as a foliage plant as well as for culinary use. The leaf itself and fruit rinds are used as a spice in cuisines of Southeast Asia, primarily Indonesia. The smell is distinctly and strongly lime, cleaner and less musky than the foliage of 'Mexican' Lime. It bears knobby, deep green fruit with green interiors, from 2 1/2" - 4" across, that ripen to lemon yellow, often borne in clusters and ornamental, but not produced very heavily. The rind has more of the intense aroma. It is sour and lime-like and can be used as a lemon or lime substitute. I know of a plant which survived the 1990 frost and temperatures of 18F. It is a large, somewhat open, ropy grower if unpruned, to 6-8' tall, sprawling, and mature foliage gets at least 6-7" long, with a tough, leathery texture. Supposedly the juice is also quite good at removing leeches, or for treating hair lice. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
Mandarins and Hybrids -- C. reticulata. Also generally known incorrectly as "tangerines," a term properly reserved as a trade name for 'Dancy' imported from Tangiers. Mandarins are usually small and basically orange-like, but are almost always very sweet, intensely flavored, and heavy bearing. Gene Lester observes, "There are hundreds of mandarins, and they are almost all very good." The one drawback common to almost all mandarins, all mandarins, is that they will tend to fall into an alternate bearing pattern. One way to handle this is to have two varieties, and strip one tree the first year and the second tree the next. That way you always have one tree with a crushing level of production while the other is saving its strength. With single trees you must thin. In its most severe form, known as "Murcott collapse," after the outstanding and extremely heavy bearing 'W. Murcott' variety, which is particularly prone to this malady, the entire tree just dies from carbohydrate exhaustion. It puts everything it has into one fantastic, ultimate, blow-out party of branch-breaking fruit production, then has nothing left, and therefore dies. Mandarins have a distinctive odor, hard to define, complex, a mix of several critical essences, but variously musky, orangey, wine-like, and often rue or caper like as well. The varying levels of these aromas are what make them such an interesting group by themselves and for breeding. rev 2/2007
Clementine -- encompasses a wide a range of bud mutation cultivars, of varying difference from the parent clone. Probably the most important mandarin in the world, from a production standpoint. Clementines are considered the finest of mandarins for many. They are distinguished by deep, deep red orange colored fruits that are moderately small (1 1/2" - 3" across is typical), a heavy, strong, orange flavor with just a small amount of the winy, pungent, musky and slightly bitter classic mandarin essence. They also feature a high sugar content, easy peeling, and moderate balancing acidity. They fruit very heavily, adapt to a range of climates, are well shaped and have ornamental value, and are rather frost hardy. A couple of their drawbacks is that they have seeds, sometime many seeds, if planted near other citrus, and that they need thinning/shaping or fruit tend to be small and they can drop into a strong alternate-year bearing pattern. Spain exports heavily to this country from November through January, and Clementines have kicked butt on two other strong favorites available at the same time, navel oranges and Satsuma Mandarins. That says something. rev 2/2007
'Corsica #1' -- similar 'Nules' -- a bud sport of 'Fina,' found in Morocco in 1962. Typical Clementine, outstanding. Big fruit, juicy, sweet. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Nules' -- fruit sliced -- on the tree -- 5 years old, on C-35, with reps, feeding faces -- this is a perennial favorite at the CRFG tasting tour of the UC Citrus collection, consistently ranking in the top ten of all types of citrus tasted on the tour, from year to year, even in competition with the large range of every other type of citrus tasted (sweet orange, pummelo, mandarins, etc.). It might not only be one of the best of the Clementines for California (or for the Central Valley at least), but its popularity even extends worldwide. It consistently has a strong, rich flavor in most countries where it is grown. It has an extended bloom, which of course leads to extended harvest, from roughly December through April for most areas. It has a shiny, deep red orange fruit, a red orange interior, it is almost as easy to peel as a 'Satsuma,' has a modest number of seeds, and gets about 1 1/2-2" across. It is blessed with a very sweet and rich flavor along with strong fragrance and aroma, strongly mandarin, slightly musky, hints of pineapple. It is also quite juicy. Highly recommended for all regions. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Gold Nugget' -- fruit -- 12 years old, unpruned, C-35 -- this is a relatively new UC Riverside breeding program release (1999), bred from two obscure parents ('Wilking' and 'Kincy'), that is small in size (to about 1 1/2"), round, medium orange, seedless, with an intense flavor, high sweetness, and excellent sweet/sour balance. The originators state that taste test panels rate it "one of the very best flavored citrus in the world." Good enough for me. I haven't tasted it because the tree was roped off and the fruit being saved for some purpose. It is usually identical in size on either C-35 or Carrizo, somewhat large in hot summer areas and substantially smaller in coastal inland valleys. It is very heavy bearing, and heavy fruit set on long branches can induce a semiweeping habit. It is quite useful also since it ripens beginning in March, which is very late, and holds well on the tree until May or June in Riverside and probably much longer in cooler Northern California climates. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Honey' ('California Honey') -- sectioned -- peeled -- mature tree -- at the Lester Estate -- heavy fruit set in Watsonville -- this thing needs a new name because it gets confused with the other citrus that stores sell as "Honey," which is actually 'Murcott,' not to be confused with 'W. Murcott,' which is different and very close to 'Nules' Clementine. Got that? So this is best known as 'California Honey.' This is an almost round (instead of flattened like the store "Honey"), 2 1/2 - 3" fruit that is light yellow orange, with a rough skin (instead of smooth, and shiny, and often mottled green) that is thick and easy to peel, sometimes coming off in one piece. Inside are segments with large vesicles that are almost chewy, have a low juice content, and an almost bland, almost straight orange flavor. In flavor and texture the two "Honeys" are actually rather close. The pummelo influence is clearly evident in the vesicle size and lack of juice and the lack of acidity. This is a good variety to try in coastal areas just because it starts with low acidity, and so should be a little more tart and interesting in cooler areas. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Kishu Seedless' -- four years, C-35 -- closeup -- sectioned -- this is currently a heavily promoted and quite popular variety. Its positive attributes are that it is heavily productive, moderately sweet, of very low acidity, moderate orange flavor, is easy enough to peel that you can often do it with one hand, and can be eaten by the armload. The puffy skins on the small, 1-1 1/2" wide fruit sometimes are so loosely filled by the segments that they are baggy, and look stepped on. But inside there is a little round fruit rattling around that you can easily pop into your mouth in one bite. This is being recommended as a great fruit for children since it is seedless and so easy to peel and not that intense and overpowering in flavor. And you don't have to bite into it to start to peel it and thus irritate the edges of your mouth with rind oil. Its one big drawback, and it is practically the only fault of any mandarin (except seediness, which is common) is that it will neither fall nor hang. It starts to rot from the stem end and sometime you won't know it until you open it. However if you are hitting your tree hard at harvest time they will likely be coming off as they deep in color and it will never be a problem. Otherwise you will have to strip the old fruit off as the new fruit ripen lest you confuse them. A compact grower, slightly larger on Carrizo. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Page' -- untended tree in Gene's upper area -- heavy fruit set -- 'Clementine' mandarin crossed with a 'Minneola,' from the Forties. It produces almost perfectly round red orange fruit to about 2" across that have an interesting flavor, a combination of its two outstanding parents. It is very juicy, seedy, and easy to peel. This is one of the more intensely flavored mandarin-like citrus varieties, and as such often shows up on citrus experts' list of "best citrus"; they never seem to have much use for the more subtle varieties and gravitate towards those that will knock your socks off. I have tasted it at Lindcove, where it is outstanding, intense and hard hitting, with high numbers for both sweet and sour plus intense orange and mandarin essences, as well as near the coast, where it was good, zingy, but still quite good, and still rich in flavors. It grows with about equal height and spread to 8' and makes a good looking tree, well shaped, even, compact, and showy when well colored with fruit. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Pixie' -- fruit -- heavy bearing -- 12-14 years, C-35 -- this is a usually average size mandarin, to 2" across, or a little less, of medium orange color, very sweet, seedless, and quite easy to peel. It gets good after the first of the year and achieves a very high sugar-acid ratio and so is very popular. It is very, very good but it is not what you would call "intense," just very sweet. It has high consumer appeal and there is a message there. It can also hold on the tree into summer. It produces heavily, on a large tree. This is a UCR development released in the mid Sixties. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
Satsuma -- this range of selections and variants all emulate the original US introduction, 'Owari,' but differ mostly in bearing time. A few show differences in flavor or peeling qualities. The parent strain originated in Japan, where fruit from trees less than ten years old is considered clearly inferior. Semidwarf rootstock yields plants in the 8-10' range at old maturity, unpruned. They are usually clothed in broad, ornamental foliage held on somewhat long, weeping branches. rev 2/2007
'Owari' ('Frost Owari') -- on Troyer, 12 years old, Lindcove -- the standard since the sixties, and the most familiar variety to nursery personnel and homeowners. Rather light colored, with a distinctively loose skin, mild mandarin flavor, and low acidity. Dependable. Ornamental. Sweet. Good on the coast, good inland. Frost hardy. Usually seedless. Beloved by children. Beloved by adults. Ornamental. Compact. Large, dark green leaves with a pendant habit. The fruit can be somewhat bland some years in very hot climates, but in the coastal inland valleys and directly along the coast our cooler conditions maintains higher acidity. And while less sweet the fruit have more character, plus they are always juicy. This is one of the types you plant if you are someone who finds some citrus varieties just too intense and overwhelming. They can be up to 2 full inches across, but almost always smaller in home gardens, somewhat flattened in shape, with either tight or loose, almost baggy skin. This is one of the very easiest to peel citrus on the planet; often I can do it with one hand. The drawback is that they tend to pull a hole in the top when you try to get it off the plant, and so should be cut (Lysol those clippers!) if you want them to hold for a while. In all climates this will be one of the first of all citrus to ripen but will hold reasonably well in coastal climates, less so inland. In Santa Cruz my tree produced from December through March and they never got puffy and dry because we ate them all first. This is the variety that trained my son and daughter to love citrus. To 5-7' after many years on semidwarf rootstock, unpruned. One of the best for containers because of its attractive foliage and habit, and slow growth. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Tahoe Gold' (TM) PP 15,461 -- should be called "Tahoe Red." Another new, upcharged UC release (1992), used to be TDE-2. Quite similar to 'Yosemite' and 'Shasta,' (and also TDE-1, the only unreleased seedling) being a high intensity, high acidity/high sugar fruit with a large (to 3") deep reddish orange, shiny, flattened exterior, with orange, almost seedless interiors that are very juicy. The fruit is heavy for its size, and heavily produced on a compact, spreading plant . Like the other two Golds it is best used in hot-summer areas since I have only heard one opinion from someone west of the inland coastal valleys (Gene Lester) who said it was "just okay." I have tasted it at Lindcove and liked it quite a bit, but then I had also tasted about 75 other citrus that day and the exact memory of this fruit eludes me, except that it was excellent, quite intense, and similar to the other Golds. It ripens in January and February in warm climates and doesn't hold long, but it lasts well after picking. One very striking aspect is how red and shiny the fruit are. This tree makes a first class ornamental if you have the climate (read "high summer heat") to redden the fruit properly. Like all the Golds it will want to alternate bear. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Yosemite Gold' (TM) PP 16,289 -- should be called "Yosemite Red. This is a new release from UC and comes complete with an extra royalty charge. I have tasted it and it is quite good, strong in every way. It is very sweet, with good acidity, and with a very strong mandarin-like flavor, but a little different from a straight mandarin. It probably needs high summer heat to balance its quite considerable zinginess, but it might prove out in cooler areas as well, given a generous amount of hang time. It is too new to fully understand where it won't do well, but it should at least be fine in all the hot summer areas and probably all of Southern California except again maybe in the fog belt regions near the Oxnard/Ventura area. It is mediocre in cool summer areas as far as I can tel. It was originally evaluated as TDE-4, one of a series of UC hybrids (the Temple-Dancy-Encore series). It bears a very large (usually 3-3 1/2" across), rather flattened fruit that is seedless. It isn't gold at all, but a deep, intense, shiny red orange outside and deep red orange inside, thin skinned and easy to peel. The plant is stocky and compact, leaves are big and dark green, and it is easy to maintain. It can tend to alternate bear. Fruit ripens January through April in the Central Valley, probably later and longer in cooler areas. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
Oranges -- mandarin crossed with a pummelo, ancient. Californians are mostly familiar with just two orange, Washington Navel and Valencia, though there are other Sweet Oranges that are basically the same but offer subtle and interesting variations on the usual flavor. Most variations marketed today revolve around differences in ripening period. Navel oranges have large and highly fragrant flowers. rev 2/2007
Blood Oranges -- includes 'Moro,' 'Tarocco,' 'Sanguinelli,' 'Ruby,' and 'Red Valencia' a.k.a. 'Smith Red Valencia.' Individual varieties are treated alphabetically with all the other oranges. Blood oranges arise spontaneously in all oranges, just as red variants can in most citrus. Many claim they taste better than regular oranges. Never underestimate the value of color on perceived flavor. The industry has struggled to find another descriptive label to market them under. Lately they have just given up and either sold them under their varietal name ("Moro Orange") or as plain old regular Blood Oranges, where they sell perfectly well. The pigments are anthocyanins, whereas in grapefruits and Cara Cara Navel orange the coloring agents are lycopenes. Claimed health benefits for both of these pigments will jump start their commercial availability and popularity. Be ahead of the trend for once by planting one now! Now! They're good for your brains and good for your veins! Personally I love Blood Oranges and buy them whenever they are available, which is much more often recently. rev 1/2007
'Cara Cara' -- fruit -- sectioned -- 12 years, C-35 -- a pink navel, but not a blood orange, because it isn't pigmented by anthocyanins. This coloring instead comes from lycopenes, the same ingredient tinting watermelon and grapefruit. It is deep salmon pink, quite attractive, and a better eating experience just because of the color. Never underestimate the value of color on perceived flavor. But most say they taste different from orange navels. Most people prefer Cara Cara to straight Washington Navel. Kids will eat them by the armfuls. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Fukomoto Navel' -- 12 years old on C-35 -- reddish fruit -- sectioned -- a Japanese import via UCR, this is about a month earlier than the industry 'Parent Washington,' fall to early winter in commercial districts. It is a real nice looking tree, lush, compact, dark green, with noticeably redder fruit, substantially darker than any other navel oranges I had ever seen around, at least as long as they have high heat conditions. Never underestimate the value of color on perceived flavor. One problem with this variety is it seems picky about rootstocks. Typical outstanding Navel Orange flavor. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Lane Late Navel' -- sectioned -- fruit -- 14 years old, Troyer rootstock -- this import from the Australian industry was selected because it ripens four to six weeks after 'Parent Washington.' It holds well on the tree. Otherwise it is just about identical except it has a smaller navel. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Midknight Seedless Valencia' -- sectioned -- fruit -- 12 years, C-35 -- an old South African import, ripening about a month before the standard 'Frost Valencia,' January to February in commercial growing areas. The earliness combined with the ability of 'Valencia' to hang a long time until ripe make it a good choice for home gardens in cooler areas. It is seedless, moderately easy to peel, and has a strong true sweet orange flavor. It makes a typical shapely, dense, attractive, highly ornamental tree. rev 1/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Moro' -- fruit -- on Troyer, 14 years, 10' -- more fruit -- the smallest commonly available blood orange variety, with the most reliable coloring. In warm areas the outsides can become deep burgundy red, almost violet. In the Central Valley they can get so deep red they don't even look like oranges, they look like purples. The insides are often flushed dark burgundy but can be light orange, or streaked, and they have very few seeds. When peeled and sectioned, the segments can almost look black under the membrane of each section. In cooler areas coloring tends to be less intense. The flavor is typical orange but definitely more acidic, with a slightly more complex flavoring. The interior color gives it an immediate ten bonus points in taste tests. Never underestimate the value of color on perceived flavor! Many people will say they taste like raspberries or pomegranate, claims that make me just smile and nod. The two things I will agree with is that they are more acidic and that they have something different from a standard sweet orange flavor. The rind has typical orange fragrance but does have a few subtle additions, licorice (!) is one I can pick up but the others are harder to identify. This variety is quite valuable as an ornamental, if you can resist picking the fruit, because they are so highly colored and showy. Harvest is from January through March or April if you are in a normal, typical inland-hot-summer growing area. If you are along the coast, the good news is that they will ripen nicely if you let them hang long enough, unlike such almost worthless varieties for those of us on the cold, foggy coast as Washington Navel and its ilk, which can rain off the tree by the bushel in winter and early spring whether they are ripe or not, filling your recycle bin with bucket after bucket of slimy, fruit-fly encrusted, bland, watery, mildewed, almost worthless fruit. The bad news is, to quote my friend Clark Magruder, that "Moro will take an honest year and three quarters of hang time to fully, fully ripen," in a typical coastal-plain growing climate. But that truly is the better option, since they can bear quite a bit of fruit, and the long hang lets you store the fruit on the tree until you want it. So expect to have two crops on the tree most of the time, the younger crop in its first year, and the older crop closer to maturity. The habit is rather broad and the plant can be open. Usually to 8' on semidwarf rootstock. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Powell Navel' -- this is functionally identical to 'Parent Washington Navel' except it bears later. An Australian import. Typical dense foliage and attractive habit. rev 1/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Red Valencia' ('Smith Red,' 'Valencia Blood') -- this is a new introduction by UCR, a seedling of a branch sport found in Southern California. I have tasted it and can guarantee it tastes very good. It is deep, dark red, with orange red skins and few seeds. The tree is compact, nice looking, very ornamental, heavy bearing, and holds fruit well. This should be an excellent, excellent blood orange for cool summer areas since 'Valencia' itself is a good orange there to begin with. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Sanguinelli' -- sectioned -- tree -- fruit -- a Spanish Blood Orange, a branchsport of Sanguigna Doble Fina. Not to be confused with 'Sanguinello,' an Italian variety, or its plural form which is of course 'Sanguinelli.' It is about the same size as 'Moro,' but not as intensely colored. It is easier to ripen though. The trees I have seen have been productive but open and arching in habit, of moderate size. rev 1/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Washington Navel' -- sectioned -- fruit -- 12 years, C-35 -- known as 'Parent,' to distinguish it from the school of slight variants that are used by commercial growers. Imported from Brazil, 1870. This is the standard navel orange you expect to find in stores. Often you are actually eating on of its subtly different sport mutation offspring, but you would never know it even if you could taste the two side by side. This old battle axe is still an excellent choice if you have a warm summer climate. For all inland coastal valleys, the Central Valley, Southern California, and the desert this is a good selection. I disrecommend it in cool summer climates from personal and second hand experience. With summer heat, and left to full maturity, it is outstanding. Picked undermature or grown under less than excellent conditions or from trees that are yellow and suffering, it is lackluster. It only holds a little while on the tree, which is one reason it is an underperformer in cool areas, because this means it can't hang to ripen further. The worst offender is the old variant 'Robertson Navel.' But the failure to hold well along the coast may be also be partially a function of climate. The trees are not that vigorous, which means they benefit from TLC but also that they make good container subjects and stay small in the landscape. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
Pummelos -- southeastern Asian in origin, the main concentration of varieties is found in Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. They are recognized by their often immense fruits, reportedly to over 20 lbs. in some tropical varieties. They are known to tolerate salty water but have a craving for very warm, humid conditions. I have tasted very high quality from Sunset Zone 9, so it is possible to finish pummelos properly in California at least there and certainly also in most if not all of populated Southern California. Besides being gigantic many varieties are quite sweet and almost acidless, valuable traits cross with highly flavored but small or acidic partners. They are all moderately ornamental due to their often quite large foliage but almost all specimens I have seen have been gawky, somewhat uneven growers, and mostly low to spreading or rounded in their habit. Still the fruit is of only spotty availability in stores, and often the best types aren't grown or are extremely hard to find. If you want the best, you are going to have to grow it for now and the foreseeable future, since Citrus imports from where the best kinds grow well (tropical Asia) are likely to continue to be out of the question for disease reasons, and rightfully so. Some varieties of pummelos can keep for months after harvest, one reportedly will keep a year.
I love pummelos. Cut off the ends flat, then score the rind and shell it away, then section the fruit vertically into four quarters. Shave off the inner core where the segments meet in the center, then peel back the thin translucent membrane which encloses the actual vesicle mass and flick away any seeds that are visible. Then just eat the exposed vesicles. Keep going. The process is part of the experience, just like eating an artichoke. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
'Chandler' -- sectioned -- tree -- fruit -- a California hybrid of 'Siamese Sweet' and 'Siamese Pink' produced in 1961. It has a wonderful, sweet, almost acidless flesh that has a light, fragrant aroma. The pulp is an attractive pink color. Holds for a long time after picking. In California it has one main winter harvest. I have had fruit ripened from a warm coastal climate; they were edible and just okay. They might have been better with more hang time but you could tell they were never going to rival those grown in the Central Valley. rev 2/2007 *NEW for 2007*
Tangelos and Hybrids
'Minneola' -- fruit -- on the table -- sectioned -- 12 years old, C-35 -- one of my personal favorites, a hybrid of a grapefruit (Duncan, the very best flavored, though seedy) with Dancy tangerine. It isn't new, it was developed in the 1930s, but it has only risen to produce market prominence relatively recently. It often develops to a deep red orange color, though the interior is always medium orange, and has at least some kind of defined neck, though other tangelos can also show this last characteristic. There really is no equal to it when picked perfectly ripe (not before April!), raised in a properly hot climate (easy in Sunset zones 8-9, 14, 18-21, with a little more time in 15-16 and 22-24, adequate but appreciated in 17), and properly fertilized to dark green leaf color. When perfectly ripe it has the perfect balance of sweet and sour, with heavy, tangy pummelo and mandarin flavors, hints of chardonnay, and a slightly musky aroma. Many citrus only have the potential to reach limited quality, even at perfect ripeness, but this one can be exceptional. Unfortunate
