Hardy Citrus Sources McKenzie Farms Just Fruits and Exotics Flying Dragon Citrus Nursery 2115 Olanta Highway 30 St. Francis Street 3973 Loretto Road Scranton, SC 29591 Crawfordville, FL 32327 Jacksonville, FL 32223

Phone: 843.389.4831 Phone: 850.926.5644 Phone: 904.880.5026 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Web site: Web site: www.mckenzie-farms.com www.justfruitsandexotics.com Commercial varieties grafted on Trifoliate rootstock Commercial and hardy varieties grafted Hardy varieties HARDY CITRUS on Trifoliate rootstock Woodlanders, Inc. Louisiana Nursery 1128 Colleton Avenue Pacific Tree Farms 5853 Highway 182 Aiken, SC 29801 4301 Lynwood Drive Opelousas, LA 70570 FOR THE SOUTHEAST Chula Vista, CA 91910 Phone: 803.648.7522 Phone: 337.948.3696 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 619.422.2400 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.woodlanders.net Web site: www.kyburg.com/ptf Web site: www.durionursery.com

Seedlings of hardy varieties Grafted commercial varieties Commercial and hardy varieties

Bibliography

Bartram, William. (1988). Travels. New York: Penguin.

McPhee, John. (1966). Oranges. New York: Farrar, Giroux, and Strauss.

Webber, Herbert et al. (1946). The Citrus Industry, Vol. 1: History, Botany, and Breeding. Los Angeles: University of California Press. (Out of print.)

Nagle, Stuart. (1997). Citrus for the Gulf Coast: A Guide for Homeowners and Gardeners. Clear Lake Shores, Texas: Forest of Treasures Press. by Tom McClendon

Some of the additional hardy citrus varieties and hybrids listed were found at the Bureau of Citrus Budwood Registration, Winter Haven, Florida (www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/budwood), and the Citrus Variety Collection of the University of California Riverside (www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu). Published by the Photo Credits Southeastern Palm Society Photographs were contributed by Southeastern Palm Society SPS Publishing members and were taken in the Southeast north of Florida.

Front Cover Visit SPS online at Jeff Stevens www.sepalms.org Page 9 Joe LeVert: leaf miners and white flies; Tom McClendon: sooty mold. Key to back cover photo Pages 18 & 19 Keith Endres: US 119; Gary Hollar: Dunstan citrumelo; Joe LeVert: Changsha mandarin, Flying Dragon trifoliate orange; Tom McClendon: Kinkoji grapefruit, Rusk citrange, procimequat, Meyer lemon, Benton citrange, Thomasville citrangequat (close-up of fruit), Sinton citrangequat, Meiwa kumquat, Hamlin sweet orange; Stan McKenzie: Juanita tangerine; Ned Rahn: Nagami kumquat; Jeff Stevens: Ichang lemon, yuzuquat, Chinotto sour orange, Ichang lemons (arrangement by JoAnn Inhulsen), citrumelo (tree with Dr. Christopher Inhulsen), Owari satsuma, Swingle citrumelo x Smooth Flat Seville; Will Taylor: Citrumelo USDA 80-5; George Weaver: Citrange in bloom; Jim Wilkinson: Grapefruit.

Back Cover Joe LeVert: Yuzu; Tom McClendon: Seville Sour Orange; Jeff Stevens: Satsuma, citrus harvest from Montezuma, Georgia.

34 Hardy Citrus for the Southeast An Unusual and Somewhat INTRODUCTION Flavor: Sour lemon-orange, some minor off-flavors, good quality. Hardy “Lime” Uses: Cooking, juice. Citrus culture is usually associated with Florida, the occasional citrus tree in various southern locations The Rangpur Lime, hardy to per- south Texas, and other areas where commercial pro- and further observations at the Florida Citrus Arbore- haps 15°F and sometimes listed Ujukitsu Lemon (Citrus limon hybrid) is classified as a sweet lemon by duction is centered. Many people outside these areas tum at Winter Haven in early 1990. In late December as Citrus limonia, may be a mandarin– most citrus enthusiasts, but has a range of characteristics that could attempt to grow the familiar oranges, grapefruits, lem- of 1989 a severe and prolonged freeze devastated com- lime hybrid. It has orange fruit the confuse any botanist. Leaf shape is rather small and willowy like a sweet ons and limes. While readily available, commercial cit- mercial groves in the area, and many trees in the arbo- size of a small mandarin and a orange. The fruit is yellow, like a grapefruit, with a pronounced neck, rus freeze and discourage further attempts. retum’s large collection were killed or severely dam- unique sour flavor that is a blend of like a Minneola tangelo, and a sweet lemony taste that is much like a In the southeastern United States, various kinds of aged. Still, there were other trees which received little both supposed parents. cross between a lemon and sweet orange. This cultivar has been grown citrus trees can be grown successfully in home land- or no damage. Propagules from these hardier types for many years in Texas but only recently has been “imported” into the scapes well north of where they are usually seen. have now been growing outdoors in Aiken in Zone 8 Southeast. Though less familiar, less readily available, and often for a number of years with minimal winter injury. In less palatable than commercial types, there are many November of 2003, fruits of 16 different types of hardy Flavor: Sweet lemon, no off-flavors, good to excellent quality. citrus species and hybrids which can be grown out- citrus fruiting outdoors in Aiken were exhibited at the Uses: Dessert. doors in the Deep South, particularly the northern por- first annual Southeastern Citrus Exposition in Colum- tions of Florida, the coastal regions of North Carolina, bia, South Carolina. South Carolina, Georgia and Texas, and the lower re- You will find information in this publication on gions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Some many types of hardy citrus including names, descrip- are reliable even well inland of these areas. The hardier tions, and culture, plus characteristics and uses of the RESOURCES citrus have attractive evergreen foliage, fragrant white fruit. flowers, and colorful fruit which can be used in various ways. Bob McCartney Woodlanders, Inc., an international rare plant mail-order nursery in Aiken, South Carolina, began Woodlanders, Inc. The Southeastern Palm Society (and Subtropical Plants) propagating and offering the hardier citrus after noting Aiken, South Carolina The Southeastern Palm Society’s The Southeastern Palm Society is the southeastern United States web site contains information about (north-of-Florida) chapter of the International Palm Society. The society hardy citrus. You can find it online provides information on how to select and grow hardy palms and sub- at www.sepalms.org. tropical plants, including hardy citrus, maintains public display gardens to promote the use of these plants in the landscape, and conducts horti- Click on “Hardy Citrus” for cultural research, including trials of new species and varieties. Hardy Citrus for the Southeast Descriptions and photos of hardy Membership in the Southeastern Palm Society is open to all. Our By Tom McClendon citrus members share an enthusiasm for growing palms and many other sub-

Design and layout: Jeff Stevens Links to online articles tropical plants and include beginning gardeners, serious hobbyists, nurs-

Additional material on Chang Shou kumquat by Bob Snyder Sources of hardy citrus ery owners and academics. Members enjoy quarterly meetings and a sub- Southeastern Citrus Expo news. scription to our quarterly journal Southeastern Palms. Second printing: February 2006

Copyright 2004 Southeastern Palm Society and SPS Publishing 10665 High Point Road, Apison, TN 37302 The Southeastern Citrus Exposition First Edition. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

ISBN-10: 0-9773466-0-9 to purchase hardy citrus trees and other subtropical ISBN-13: 978-0-9773466-0-8 The first annual Southeastern Citrus Exposition plants. was held in November 2003 at Riverbanks Zoo and Originally called the South Carolina Citrus Expo, Printed in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States Garden in Columbia, South Carolina. Organized by the unexpectedly high attendance from both South For additional copies of Hardy Citrus for the Southeast visit www.sepalms.org. Southeastern Palm Society member Stan McKenzie of Carolina and other states in the region inspired a name

Photographs were contributed by Southeastern Palm Society members Keith Endres, Gary Hollar, Joe LeVert, Scranton, South Carolina, it featured a citrus fruit change to reflect the widening interest in growing cit- Tom McClendon, Stan McKenzie, Ned Rahn, Jeff Stevens, Will Taylor, George Weaver and Jim Wilkinson. competition, expert speakers who explained how to rus north of Florida. See page 34 for a full listing of photographic credits. choose and care for hardy citrus, and the opportunity The Expo may be the best source of rare species

Proceeds from this publication benefit the Southeastern Palm Society. and cultivars for the home gardener.

Hardy Citrus for the Southeast 33 Ruby Red Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) is the most highly colored grape- fruit that can be grown in the Southeast. When fully ripe it is a clear gemstone red and beautiful to behold. One limitation of this type is that it does not reach full flavor until late December or early January. It can be eaten as early as October but the fruit has quite a bit of acidic bite at CONTENTS that time.

Flavor: Sweet grapefruit, no off-flavors, excellent quality. GROWING CITRUS IN THE SOUTHEAST

Uses: Dessert. 6 Citrus North of Florida 7 Our Southeastern Climate Bloomsweet or Kinkoji Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi hybrid) is some- There’s more juice in a grapefruit than 8 Sun, Soil, Water times given the Latin binomial Citrus obovoidea, and is called Kinkoji in meets the eye. 8 Fertilization and Pest Control Japan. It resembles a sour orange in its upright growth habit, but the —Anonymous 10 Pruning Citrus large, yellow fruit looks just like a grapefruit, though with a thinner peel. 11 The Sex Life of Citrus The brightly-colored fruit is easy to peel, much like a mandarin. Inside, 12 Grafted Trees Versus Own Roots the fruit is coarser and drier than grapefruit, but sweeter and with no 12 About Cold Hardiness bitterness. It’s probably a hybrid of the pummelo with something (or somethings) else. Bloomsweet appears to be fully hardy to Zone 8a, en- 14 How Hardy Are They? during 14°F in Montezuma, Georgia with negligible leaf damage. 15 It’s a Matter of Taste

Flavor: Sweet grapefruit, no off-flavors, very good quality. Uses: Dessert. CITRUS VARIETIES FOR THE SOUTHEAST

16 Hardiest of All: The Trifoliate Orange and Its Hybrids

Sanbokan Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi hybrid) has excellent grapefruit- Trifoliate Orange, Citranges, Citrumelos, Citrandarins, type fruit and is sometimes given specific status as Citrus sulcata. The tree Citrangequats, Complex Trifoliate Orange Hybrids is large and spreading like a grapefruit, but the yellow fruit is oblong 18 Photos with a slight neck and shaped more like some of the tangelos. Sanbokan 23 The Very Hardy: The Ichang Papeda and Its Hybrids has juicy fruit with a delicious lemony-grapefruit flavor. It doesn’t ap- Ichang Papeda, Ichang Lemon, Yuzu, ClemYuz, Yuzuquat, pear to be as hardy as Bloomsweet, but should be hardy in most areas of Yuzvange

Zone 8b. A grafted unprotected plant withstood 14°F with no damage, 25 Hardy Kumquats and Their Hybrids but succumbed to 9°F the following winter. Kumquats, Limequats, Procimequat, Nippon Orangequat,

Sunquat and Marmaladequat Flavor: Sweet lemon-grapefruit, no off-flavors, excellent quality. 27 More Hardy Citrus Uses: Dessert. Calamandarin, Mandarins (Tangerines), Sour Oranges, Sweet

Oranges, The Grapefruit and Its Hybrids, Lemons and Lemon Meyer Lemon (Citrus limon hybrid or Citrus meyeri) was introduced to Lemons and Lemon Variants Variants the United States about a century ago from China by the plant explorer Lemons (Citrus limon) are among the Frank Meyer. It has a number of traits that point to lemon ancestry, such most cold-tender citrus, and true RESOURCES as lemon-scented foliage, a serrated leaf edge, reddish new growth and lemons grow well only in parts of purple-tinged blossoms. The fruit, however, has characteristics that in- California and central and southern 33 The Southeastern Palm Society (and Subtropical Plants) dicate that Meyer lemon may be a hybrid with a sweet orange. Fruit ini- Florida. However, the two “lemons” 33 The Southeastern Citrus Exposition tially turn yellow but then continue changing color to a deep yellow and listed here grow well along the 34 Hardy Citrus Sources in some plants, a rich orange. Inside, the flesh is a pale orange color with coastal sections of the Southeast. a good lemon flavor, but the fruits tend to be a bit sweeter than typical Lemons exhibit variable hardiness, 34 Bibliography lemons and not as highly flavored. Still, Meyer lemon makes a good and are generally the least hardy of lemon along coastal sections of the Southeast. It is only about as hardy as citrus that can be grown in the 34 Photo Credits a sweet orange but grows well on its own roots and recovers rapidly Southeast. Meyer lemon and Ujuki- from a freeze. tsu may be hardy to about 20°F.

32 Hardy Citrus for the Southeast I thought it came from the Hesperides, juice. Hamlin is relatively easy to find at large home improvement stores, for there they say the golden apples though trees almost invariably are shipped in from Florida and on citru- melo or Carrizo citrange rootstock, which make excessively large trees GROWING CITRUS IN THE SOUTHEAST grow. that are more susceptible to cold. Better to find it on trifoliate orange —A young man in Antiphanes’ rootstock if possible. The Boeotina Girl, upon Flavor: Sweet orange, no off-flavors, excellent quality. presenting a citron to his Uses: Dessert, juice. Citrus North of Florida mistress. The Hesperides,

daughters of Herperis and Along with palms, bananas and bold flowering plants, citrus help The Citrus Family Tree Parson Brown Orange (Citrus sinensis), like Hamlin, is another old cul- Atlan, crossed the define the subtropics. With deeply-hued evergreen leaves, fragrant blos- Citrus have been cultivated for so tivar from Florida. Parson Brown oranges are somewhat larger than Mediterranean from Africa soms, and ornamental and usually edible fruit, few other plants are as long that the origins of many types Hamlin, with a rougher peel and more seeds. They ripen a little after to Italy in a giant shell. handsome and useful. The beauty and utility of these plants have helped are unknown. As a result, there are Hamlin but otherwise are excellent. Parson Brown is also used as a juice them spread around the world. Originating in Asia, citrus were slowly several different ways of classifying orange in Florida. Trees are similar to Hamlin and other sweet oranges. dispersed to Europe during the Roman Empire and the Crusades. Chris- citrus. Some researchers use the topher Columbus carried citrus on his second voyage to the New World, Swingle method, which recognizes Flavor: Sweet orange, no off-flavors, excellent quality. and later explorers spread citrus throughout the Americas and beyond. fewer types as species. The Japa- Uses: Dessert, juice. It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that citrus carry within their nese researcher Tanaka recognized genes the very history of the world. nearly every cultivar as a species, Navel Orange (Citrus sinensis) ripens around the end of October in the This history is no less storied in the southeastern Untied States than including those that have since Southeast. They typically are not as rich tasting here as those grown in elsewhere. Here, citrus have been grown outside of Florida for more than been demonstrated to be clear hy- California, but fruit tend to be much larger than those found in the gro- 300 years. The first English settlers in South Carolina carried with them brids (such as Yuzu, which Tanaka cery store. Some fruit will be as large or larger than standard grapefruit. They are easy to peel and have a lower concentration of juice than other citrus from Barbados and other Caribbean islands, reasoning that described as Citrus junos but which sweet oranges, which makes them better suited for eating out-of-hand. Charleston’s climate would be milder than that of Spain, which lay far- researchers demonstrated to be a The Grapefruit and Its Hybrids There is a cultivar called Cara-Cara or simply red navel that has red ther north. In Georgia, General James Oglethorpe ordered that oranges hybrid between Ichang papeda and Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) flesh. This cultivar appears to be as hardy as the standard and is becom- be planted in Savannah and at Fort Frederica on St. Simon’s Island, and a mandarin). It has been suggested originated in the Caribbean and are these trees thrived for more than 100 years. At one time or another, that all of the mainstream commer- ing more widely available. believed to be either hybrids of nearly every coastal Southern state has had commercial plantings of cit- cial citrus types are intermediates pummelo with another variety or a Flavor: Sweet orange, no off-flavors, excellent quality. rus, and some, including Alabama and Louisiana, still do. between two basic types, the pum- mutation of the pummelo. Most Uses: Dessert. It should come as no surprise that commercial plantings of citrus melo and the mandarin. botanists do not distinguish have been devastated periodically by cold in the Southeast, just as they For our purposes, we recognize between the two, but there are Duncan Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) is the oldest variety of grapefruit, have been in Florida. It’s also true that few areas are suitable for com- the following as valid species or some pronounced differences. Like its name arising from Florida, where it was the standard for many years. mercial plantings outside of the Sunshine State, southern Louisiana, and stable horticultural forms: pummelos, grapefruit trees are large A white grapefruit, Duncan is very seedy and sweet. Though one of the Texas. However, that does not mean that all areas of the Southeast are and spreading to accommodate the sweetest cultivars, it is not often found in grocery stores because of its unsuitable for commercial plantings, and we certainly do not want to Trifoliate Orange Poncirus trifoliata large fruit, with huge green leaves seediness. It is still grown in Florida and is used for canning purposes. discourage gardeners from planting citrus in the home garden—far from Ichang Papeda Citrus ichangensis with a pronounced winged petiole. Commonly found in discount nurseries along the coast, it is a good it. Now more than ever, gardeners should include citrus in their land- Kumquat Fortunella spp. Grapefruit, also like pummelo, come choice there because it is one of the earliest ripening cultivars, edible as scapes. In the last decade there has been a flurry of interest in hardy cit- Sour Orange Citrus aurantium in white, red, and pink forms. early as mid-October. rus. New varieties from Asia have begun to enter the market, and citrus Mandarin Citrus reticulata Grapefruit is much juicier than Flavor: Sweet grapefruit, no off-flavors, excellent quality. breeders in the United States have begun to create fascinating and hardy Sweet Orange Citrus sinensis pummelo, however, and nearly all Uses: Dessert, juice. cultivars. In addition, there is a renewed interest in old cultivars devel- Grapefruit Citrus paradisi varieties have some bitterness that

oped by the United States Department of Agriculture and elsewhere Lemon Citrus limon contrasts with the sweet flavor. And Marsh Grapefruit and Pink Marsh Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) are more than a hundred years ago. Pummelo Citrus maxima grapefruit are markedly poly- two very closely related cultivars similar in form and taste to Duncan. By choosing the right variety and giving some thought to the needs Lime Citrus aurantifolia embryonic, but their cousins the The principal difference between them and Duncan is the lack of seedi- of the plant in your climate, gardeners in much of the Southeast can pummelo are monoembryonic. ness. They are not as flavorful as Duncan, though they are still very grow some type of citrus. Not all will produce commercial-quality fruit, Hardiness varies by cultivar. Most but all will be beautiful plants with ornamental and culinary uses—not sweet. standard types are hardy to about to mention a great conversation piece. 20°F, making them essentially a Flavor: Sweet grapefruit, no off-flavors, excellent quality. Zone 9 tree. Uses: Dessert, juice.

6 Hardy Citrus for the Southeast Hardy Citrus for the Southeast 31 15°F, perhaps a bit lower. The count is neither sad, nor sick, nor Our Southeastern Climate Flavor: Semi-sweet orange, no off-flavors, fair to good quality. merry, nor well; but civil count, civil as This publication is designed to guide gardeners The warmest areas in the Southeast are along the Uses: Dessert. an orange, and something of that jeal- living in the southeastern United States who wish to coast, and from a line east of Charleston, South Caro- Note: Surprisingly sweet for a sour orange, in contrast with the rind, ous complexion. grow citrus outdoors. We make no claim to under- lina south to Claxton and Waycross, Georgia, early which is excessively bitter, as in all sour oranges. —Beatrice, in Shakespeare’s Much stand the state of Florida, and if you live in that state, ripening oranges, grapefruits, and certain lemons can

Ado About Nothing, employing the please consult a good guide for your area. We do hope succeed admirably. Smooth Flat Seville Sour Orange (Citrus aurantium hybrid) is an Aus- “bitter” Seville orange in a pun on to give basic guidelines for people living in our region, One mistake people sometimes make is in tralian variety that may be a hybrid, possibly with grapefruit. Foliage is Claudio’s “civil” attempt to hide his including the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South choosing varieties that are unsuited for their climate. typically sour orange with large leaves and a smallish petiole base, but unfounded jealousy of Don Pedro Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Missis- It’s a familiar scenario: someone picks up an “orange the yellow fruit is very large, up to 8 inches or more, in diameter. When sippi. It is not intended to tell people what to do or tree” at a roadside stand in Florida and plants it in the fully ripe they make an excellent grapefruit substitute. Hardiness is un- that they can’t grow citrus. After all, the Southeastern ground at their home in suburban Atlanta. Then at the known, but should be comparable to other sour oranges. A grafted plant A Sour Orange Hybrid Palm Society was founded specifically to test the limits end of winter, all that remain are frozen leaves and in metropolitan Atlanta endured lower teens with minimal leaf damage. Tai-Chang [Citrus taiwanica x of hardy subtropical plants, and we encourage mem- dead twigs. “Citrus won’t grow here,” becomes the Flavor: Semi-sweet grapefruit, no off-flavors, good quality. Ichang Lemon bers to do just that. official pronouncement. Uses: Dessert. Despite a reluctance to proclaim that a specific The fact is that there are several factors that need Note: Surprisingly good grapefruit substitute when fully ripe. cultivar or species will or will not survive in a given to be considered before deciding that a particular spe- More Sour Oranges climate, some basic observations need to be made. cies or cultivar is suitable. First, the cultivar needs to and Hybrids Generally speaking, if you live in an area that has win- be generally hardy for your area. There’s not much Nansho Daidai Sour Orange (Citrus taiwanica) is a very hardy tree ter minimums that commonly drop below 10°F, you sense in trying key limes in Atlanta, unless you want to and an upright, vigorous grower with long, narrow leaves and huge Abers Narrowleaf Gou Tou will be able to grow only the hardiest varieties of cit- grow citrus in a container. Second, the source of the spines. The fruit is large, oblate-spherical, and bright yellow. Over the Bergamot Sauvage rus, and some of these will have to be protected in ex- plant needs to be reliable; you want to know that years, Nansho Daidai has proven to be one of the hardiest evergreen cit- Bigaradier Apepu Willowleaf treme weather. Many of these will be deciduous, or what’s planted in the ground is what you think you are rus. A citrus pioneer in Montezuma, Georgia had a large Nansho Daidai Boquet des Fleurs Zhu Luan nearly so, in colder winters. Immediately southward growing. Third, the tree needs to be generally healthy that endured 0°F in 1985 without any noticeable leaf drop, and no loss of Citrus neoaurantium are areas that commonly stay above 10°F but will drop and well fertilized before winter sets in. Fourth, decide crop the next year. How much below zero this citrus can take is un- lower every five years or so. if possible whether or not to grow a tree on its own known, but it’s certainly a hardy variety. Fruit quality is only mediocre, The environs around Raleigh, North Carolina roots or to get a tree that has been grafted on a root- though the fruit can be used as a lemon substitute and for making very Sweet Oranges southwest to Atlanta, Georgia and Birmingham, Ala- stock. Some varieties cannot survive on their own good -ade type drinks. Hardy to 5°F easily. Sweet oranges (Citrus sinensis) are the most important citrus commer- bama fall into this category. These areas can grow the roots and must be grafted. Lastly, be prepared to take Flavor: Sour lemon, some off-flavors, fair quality. cially and something of a Holy Grail hardier varieties such as Poncirus trifoliata hybrids and basic steps to protect any marginally-hardy trees in Uses: Cooking, juice. to everyone from Jason and the Ar- Citrus ichangensis hybrids with little trouble most years. winter. gonauts to the little old lady in (See the description of these later.) During cold win- No matter where you live, choose varieties that Ambersweet Orange (Citrus sinensis hybrid) is actually a tangelo and Ocala. Everyone wants to grow the ters there may be some twig and limb damage, and ex- ripen fruit as early as possible. The better cultivars for sweet orange cross, which makes it one-half sweet orange and one- Golden Apples of folklore and myth. tremely cold winters could see temperatures that kill our area will ripen fruit before December 1. All parts of quarter grapefruit and one-quarter mandarin. It was bred in Florida for It is no myth that growing sweet even the hardier types to the ground. the Southeast are susceptible to extreme freeze events, cold-hardiness after the disastrous freezes of the 1980s. For marketing oranges is possible along the imme- Still farther south are the true Zone 8 areas, rang- and it’s no fun trying to harvest five bushels of fruit as purposes, however, it is classed as an orange. The fruit is sweet but is diate coastlines of the Lower South, ing from about Norfolk, Virginia, south to Fayetteville, the temperature plummets. (After all, you will need tinged slightly with a pine taste, especially early in the season, but this is particularly on barrier islands. Take North Carolina, and west to Columbia, South Caro- that time for protecting any experimental palms!) For much diminished as the season progresses. Ambersweet juices well and care to obtain an early-ripening cul- lina, and Augusta, Georgia, and to Montgomery, Ala- example, even though Valencia orange trees grow well makes a full, vigorous tree. tivar that is grafted onto trifoliate bama and Jackson, Mississippi. These areas commonly in coastal Georgia, they are not recommended because orange rootstock. For these reasons, do not fall below 15°F but can see lower temperatures Valencia oranges do not ripen until mid-March, and a Flavor: Sweet orange, minor off-flavors, good quality. only early oranges are listed here, on occasion. Here the hardier varieties can be grown hard freeze any time before then will destroy the entire Uses: Dessert, juices. and though it may be possible some with ease and some of the hardier commercial types crop. Better to pick earlier sweet oranges and buy years to ripen Valencia oranges in such as kumquats and Satsuma mandarin can succeed Valencias at the grocery store. Hamlin Orange (Citrus sinensis) is an early-ripening variety that is edi- Charleston, we don’t recommend if given protection. ble in mid-October and is widely for juice in Florida. It has a typical or- trying it when other varieties are ange size, three to four inches in diameter and is almost perfectly round. available. All sweet oranges are Inside, the flesh is a rich golden color, nearly seedless, and heavy with hardy to about 20°F.

30 Hardy Citrus for the Southeast Hardy Citrus for the Southeast 7 of the tree is shrubby with many small branches, prodigious quantities of Sun, Soil, Water fruit can be produced. The fruit are small and seedy, about 2 inches in Citrus are subtropical or warm-temperate plants adapted to grow- Drought Stress diameter, resembling miniature Dancy tangerines. They are easy to peel ing in sandy alluvial soils along floodplains. Soils can be infertile sands, One of the interesting habits of cit- and have a very good sweet-tart taste. The Kat is probably about as but citrus grow best in medium-fertile, well-drained soils of neutral to rus is that they will often bloom hardy as Satsuma—around the upper teens.

slightly-acid pH. A few species, particularly kumquats, prefer highly fer- heavily after a period of drought Flavor: Sweet tangerine, no off-flavors, good quality. tile volcanic soils. Most citrus species in the wild function as understory stress. This inclination was used by Uses: Dessert. plants, and William Bartram in the 1770s reported that feral groves of France’s Louis XIV, who was par- Note: Too small to be of much use commercially, but an interesting citrus. citrus in colonial Florida grew well underneath the native magnolias, live ticularly fond of the fragrance of

oaks, and Sabal palmetto. Rainfall in the areas of Asia to which citrus is orange blossoms. His gardeners Satsuma (Citrus reticulata) is really a class of mandarins, within which native is plentiful and evenly distributed. induced orange trees into continu- there are several cultivars. Among them are Kimbough, Owari, and Early To a degree, many parts of the Southeast greatly resemble the native ous bloom by drought-stressing St. Anne, which differ primarily in the time of ripening. As a class, Sat- habitat of citrus. Soils along floodplains in the Southeast tend to be them almost to the point of death sumas ripen very early, with most having best quality before the peel sandy, though fertility can be low. Rainfall patterns are similar to South- and then watering them, which turns orange, and all nearly finished by Thanksgiving. Fruit do not hold east Asia, but distribution in the Southeast can be very sporadic, and caused the trees to burst into well on the tree, becoming large and puffy. However, they do store well bloom. In the same manner, large each growing season will have dry spells. In some years the terms once picked. The fruit are easy to peel and have a rich tangerine flavor juvenile citrus trees can sometimes “growing season” and “drought” can seem downright synonymous. when fresh, though not so much as some other mandarins. Satsuma does be tricked into blooming for the Moreover, inland parts of the Southeast tend to have rainy winters and very well along the coast in the Southeast, and commercial groves have first time. It has been observed that drier summers, which can stress subtropical plants during both seasons. existed, and still do, in southern Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Periodic droughts are the norm. maturing seedling citrus often will While Satsuma has a reputation for being the most cold-hardy commer- Like many plants, citrus prefer well-drained, loamy soil, tolerating bloom for the first time after a rainy cial citrus, it isn’t hardy much below 18°F and anything below 15°F for light sands with ample fertilizer. Citrus can succeed in heavier clays as period immediately following a prolonged periods will severely damage it. summer dry spell. long as they are well drained, thought most citrus will do better if grafted on trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata) when planted in Flavor: Sweet tangerine, no off-flavors, excellent quality.

heavy red clay. No citrus can stand wet feet and will rapidly decline un- Uses: Dessert. der persistently wet conditions. One of the best all-around cold-hardy citrus for the Southeast. I returned to my camp, where I had left Note: Citrus need to be well watered at all times. While they can be some- my fish broiling, and my kettle of rice what drought tolerant depending upon variety, all will do much better if The Sour Orange Seville Sour Orange (Citrus aurantium) is the standard sour orange. It given even moisture. Fruit set and retention will be much higher with stewing; and having with me oil, pep- and Its Hybrids produces a fruit that superficially resembles a common sweet orange. adequate water. Citrus naturally will shed a number of fruit a month or per, and salt, and excellent oranges Sour oranges (Citrus aurantium for The peel is a brighter orange color and is thicker than a sweet orange, so after blooming. Called the “June Drop,” it is a normal process and hanging in abundance over my head… the most part) greatly resemble one reason why the sour orange is the very best fruit for marmalade, nothing to be alarmed about, but if the trees are in a stressed state they sweet oranges, but are larger in with Dundee marmalade being produced from sour oranges. Internally, sat down and regaled myself cheerfully. most respects. Sour orange trees can drop all the fruit—not a good thing. Even so, deep watering will the pulp of a sour orange is coarser than the pulp of a sweet orange, and amend this. Along certain parts of the Atlantic coast, winter is the drier —William Bartram, in Travels tend to be very large and somewhat is juicy and sour. Sour orange flowers are perhaps the most fragrant of all season and special attention will need to be given to citrus during a time (1775), describing the area spreading, with larger leaves than citrus. Standard sour oranges are hardy to around 15°F and will grow when most other plants are dormant. around Lake George, Florida sweet oranges. Leaves on standard well on the Southern coasts and inland to Augusta, Georgia. sour oranges have a winged petiole Flavor: Sour orange, no off-flavors, excellent quality. much like grapefruit, though not as large. Sour orange fruit are highly Uses: Cooking, juice, preserves. Fertilization and Pest Control colored and are arguably one of the Note: Sour oranges are excellent used in cooking Cuban-style pork as It goes without saying that healthy trees are easier so it’s best to apply a consistent level of fertilizer dur- most beautiful citrus fruit. Their well as in fajitas and other Latin dishes. to maintain than sickly, disease-ridden ones. A bal- ing the growing season to promote strong, healthy deep orange color is much prettier anced fertilizer that contains micronutrients will go a growth. Slow-release fertilizers with a ratio of 8-8-8 than most sweet oranges, which Chinotto Sour Orange (Citrus aurantium var. myrtifolia) is also called long way toward this end. Citrus are a little tricky to are excellent, particularly if the fertilizer contains have a muted yellow-orange skin. It the myrtle-leaf orange for its tiny leaves that are densely packed on the fertilize. They appear to be more sensitive to deficien- micronutrients such as iron, magnesium, and manga- appears that most sour oranges are twigs. Chinotto produces small fruit about the size of a grocery store cies, and if nutrients are low when they enter a flush of nese. There are commercial “Citrus Special” fertilizers almost as hardy as the hardier man- tangerine. The fruit are moderately sweet and Chinotto is worth grow- growth, the new growth will immediately show the available, and these work very well on sandy soils. Be- darins, tolerating temperatures in ing for the unusual foliage, fragrant flowers and thornless stems. Tests in deficiencies. Correcting them is a challenge after that, fore applying any fertilizer, it will be in your best in- the upper teens with no damage. Augusta indicate that this cultivar is about as hardy as Satsuma—to

8 Hardy Citrus for the Southeast Hardy Citrus for the Southeast 29 dry and bland. All tend to dry out quickly and must be harvested as soon Mandarins terest to have a soil analysis done to determine where as possible. The fruit must be clipped or the peel will tear, and if the peel Mandarins, or tangerines as they are your soil is deficient. (And if you live in the Southeast, is not injured the fruit will store very well in the refrigerator. Changsha commonly called in the United your soil will be deficient in something.) Again, slow is reported to be hardy to 5°F. In tests at the Bamboo Farm and Coastal States (Citrus reticulata), cover a and steady is the key to fertilizing citrus. Gardens in Savannah, Georgia, Changsha tolerated short freezes down broad class of citrus, all of which In the Southeast north of Florida, it is best to begin to 13°F with no loss of foliage or fruiting. A newer hybrid of Changsha appear to have originated from a fertilizing just before growth initiates in spring. This with Clementine mandarin produces a slightly smaller fruit but is much common ancestor. Many are appar- will range from late February in the extreme Lower more flavorful. Hopefully it will be as hardy as Changsha. ent hybrids or complexes with South and as late as the beginning of April farther other citrus, and some, such as tan- north. In all areas it is best to fertilize no later than Flavor: Sweet tangerine, some off-flavors, fair to good quality. gelos, are deliberate hybrids. All July 1. The intent is to promote healthy, vigorous Uses: Dessert. mandarins have brightly-colored growth early on and then allow the tree to slow down Note: Excessive seediness makes Changsha less desirable as does a ten- skins, mild flesh that can be sweet as much as possible before fall. Very often, late summer dency toward blandness in some individual trees. Especially sweet or sour, and many threadlike veins can bring strong thunderstorms and tropical systems Leaf miners leave a squiggly, shiny trail clones are worth seeking out. that adhere to the outside of the after a dry spell, and the sudden availability of water and deform the leaf. sections when the fruit is peeled, can trigger late flushes of growth in citrus, particularly Juanita Tangerine (Citrus reticulata) arose from a chance seedling from hence the Latin binomial Citrus re- if there is abundant fertilizer available as well. This a supermarket tangerine planted by Juanita Barrineau of Barrineau, ticulata. As a class, mandarins are late growth is particularly prone to freeze damage. South Carolina. The original plant came from a seed planted in a pot hardier than most commercial cit- When compared to other fruit trees such as with a houseplant. The houseplant died, but the seedling flourished and rus. Hardiness varies widely. peaches and apples, citrus are practically carefree. was planted outdoors. The resulting tree amazingly survived 0°F in 1985 They will tolerate a surprising amount of neglect and and continues to bear about five bushels of fruit annually. The tree and still fruit reliably, and the amount of maintenance re- fruit resemble Dancy tangerines. The tree is upright with numerous More Hardy Mandarins quired is low compared to other fruit trees. However, branches and twigs and few thorns, especially on bearing wood. Fruit is Nasnaran keeping citrus in optimal health will require some vigi- typical for Dancy; a rich orange tangerine about three inches in diameter, Ponkan lance, because citrus are prone to a host of pests. Scale oblate and with small radial furrows at the stem end. The pulp is a rich Shekwasha insects, spider mites, aphids, Asian leaf miners and orange color, tender, and very sweet. It also ripens in the Southeast by whiteflies all attack citrus. Fortunately, most are easy Thanksgiving, well ahead of Dancy, and is more desirable for that reason. to control. The most reliable tools, besides using good This cultivar demonstrates the value of trying seedlings of more common cultural practices, are horticultural and dormant oils White flies live and breed on the fruit. and insecticidal soaps. The important thing to remem- underside of citrus leaves. Flavor: Sweet tangerine, no off-flavors, excellent quality. ber is never to use a systemic pesticide on any plant Uses: Dessert. that you intend to eat. Scales are white, brown or orange stationary in- sects that suck plant juices. They are most common on Keraji Mandarin (Citrus reticulata) produces a 2-inch fruit too small to the undersides of leaves. Scale can be controlled with be commercially viable, but nevertheless is an excellent tree for the gar- horticultural oil and a non-systemic insecticide. Oil den. Growth is upright and narrow, with almost no thorns, even in seed- sprays are most effective when the scale is in the lings. The fruit are small, yellow, flattened tangerines that have a sweet crawling stage in spring and early summer. Once the lemonade taste unlike any other citrus fruit. The peel is puffy and very insects become adults, they become immobile and easy to remove. Keraji may be almost as hardy as Changsha. A tree in Au- form a hard shell, making them hard to kill without gusta, Georgia has performed very well since 1997, tolerating short drops resorting to extreme measures. Usually two applica- to the upper teens with no leaf drop or twig damage. tions are necessary to bring them under control. Flavor: Sweet lemon-tangerine, no off-flavors, very good quality. Spider mites are tiny red or orange arachnids that Uses: Dessert. also feed on plant juices. Once a citrus plant has an Sooty mold slides off a citrus leaf after infestation, the population of spider mites can quickly an application of horticultural oil. Long Huang Kat Mandarin (Citrus reticulata) is a Chinese cultivar and explode. The effect of spider mites usually is evidenced small tree similar to Changsha. Thorns are minimal, even on small plants. by yellow or orange speckles on the leaves and a severe The growth habit is upright, like most other mandarins, with narrow infestation can discolor the entire leaf and severely leaves. Fruit is held singly at the end of branches, but because the habit stress the plant. The best prevention of spider mites is

28 Hardy Citrus for the Southeast Hardy Citrus for the Southeast 9 adequate water, as the pests usually attack heat- and Again, horticultural oil applied to the undersides of the Best Citrus for Marmalade suma, with large pointed kumquat-like leaves. It makes a very handsome drought-stressed plants. You can try “syringing” water leaves can control the Asian leaf miner to some degree. The very best citrus for marmalade ornamental plant and is hardy to at least 10°F. at low volume and high pressure to knock spider mites However, outbreaks seem to be sporadic; in some years is the Seville type of sour orange, Flavor: Sour tangerine, no off-flavors, good quality. off the tree; this preserves the species that prey on spi- there are few miners at all, whereas in other years in- used so extensively in Great Britain der mites. They can be controlled with horticultural oil festations are high. to make the famous Dundee prod- Uses: Juice, preserves. and insecticidal soaps. Dormant oil must be used in fall Whiteflies are a particularly noisome pest because ucts. A number of other citrus make Note: Becomes sweeter as season progresses but fruit must be over- and winter to kill the eggs. If you use a type of pesti- the damage they cause shows up long after they have very good marmalade, though. Some wintered to become sufficiently sweet to enjoy out of hand. cide, make sure the label reads “miticide”. Because they gone. Mature whiteflies live and breed on the under- have a distinct advantage over sour are arachnids, spider mites are not affected by some sides of citrus leaves, and the leaves of many other spe- oranges because they have a sweet Sunquat and Marmaladequat are among the more promising hybrids insecticides. cies, and feed on the juices of the leaves. If you shake a albedo (kumquats and citrange- of the last decade, the chance seedlings between a Meiwa kumquat and Aphids are another type of sucking insect. They branch and a cloud of whiteflies tumble out, the plant quats) or because they are easy to either a Meyer lemon or a Clementine mandarin. (The seedlings were are attracted to young, tender shoots and can severely is badly infested. Unless there is a very heavy infesta- prepare (Rusk citrange). Below are discovered underneath a Clementine tree.) The Marmaladequat is named deform emerging growth in the spring. They are usu- tion, whiteflies often don’t cause too much damage to some types that will make a very for the ease in which marmalade is made from the fruit, having a peeling ally associated with ants (as are scale insects), which the trees, but the honeydew that they produce causes good, useful marmalade. so soft that it doesn’t need to be precooked. Both are thorny, upright “farm” aphids and feed on the sticky secretions called sooty mold to form on leaves. When heavy enough, the trees that produce yellow fruit with a sweet juice and are completely honeydew. Controlling ants would go a long way to- mold can completely cover leaves, twigs, and fruit. Rusk Citrange edible, peel and all. Marmaladequat is reportedly more vigorous and ward controlling aphids, but because controlling ants Two applications of horticultural oil about 10 days Thomasville Citrangequat comes back quickly from the roots if a freeze kills it to the ground. Both in the Southeast is about as easy as herding cats, your apart in late fall will remove the mold from the tree. Nippon Orangequat are probably hardy to 15°F.

best bet is going to be controlling aphids. The most Provado, a new product from Bayer, is very effec- Sunquat Flavor: Sweet kumquat, no off-flavors, good quality. effective method is also the most environmentally tive at controlling white fly, leaf miner and aphids, and Marmaladequat Uses: Dessert, preserves. friendly: insects such as ladybugs find aphids particu- appears to be relatively safe to use. Two caveats: larly toothsome and are the best method of control. Provado must be applied every seven to ten days on Asian leaf miner is a recent introduction to the new growth for maximum efficacy, and it is expensive. United States, but it has spread quickly. This pest is a The good news is that while these pests all plague More Hardy Citrus small caterpillar about 3 millimeters long that feeds on citrus at one time or another, rarely do all attack at The Most Familiar Citrus Calamandarin (Citrus reticulata hybrid) is a cultivar that may be a hy- the undersides of young citrus leaves. The biting parts once. It seems a wet year will be rank with whitefly, These citrus comprise many of the brid with the Calamondin (itself purportedly a kumquat-mandarin hy- leave a squiggly, shiny trail as the caterpillar moves followed by next year’s dry summer and spider mite varieties with which people are brid) and another, unknown type of mandarin. The tree is large, vigorous along the leaf. (The trail is snakelike, apparently to infestation. (It’s good to look at the bright side of these most familiar: oranges, lemons, and bushy, with the fruit held at the ends of the tips of twigs like all avoid the spider mites which are also sucking on the things.) While there are a number of diseases and pests grapefruit, and others. As a rule, other mandarins. Consequently the tree produces an abundance of small, leaves.) This activity can severely deform new leaves, that do attack citrus, as a class they are of much easier they are not nearly as hardy as the brightly-colored fruit. Fruit quality is only average, though. This variety but otherwise does not seem to affect fruiting, and cultivation than most other fruit trees. Most of the Citrus trifoliata and Citrus ichangensis is hardy at least to Aiken, South Carolina, so to 10°F to 15°F. once leaves are mature they are immune to attack. time a little preventive maintenance will go a long way. hybrids, though several are hardy in the upper parts of Zone 8 if given a Flavor: Semi-sweet tangerine, some off-flavors, fair to good quality; varies good microclimate and/or protec- with individual plants. Pruning Citrus tion in winter. Uses: Dessert.

Hard freezes can damage citrus trees. How much ered more quickly and grew more vigorously than Changsha Mandarin (Citrus reticulata) is a very old Chinese cultivar. damage any particular freeze causes not only depends those pruned immediately after a freeze. Such plant characteristics as a pointed leaf tip, extreme cold hardiness on the severity and duration of low temperatures, but Many types of citrus send out rapidly growing wa- and a skunky odor to the fruit peel point to the possibility that Chang- also on actions taken afterward. While it may be ter sprouts in mid-summer after heavy rains. Water sha is a hybrid of some sort with Citrus ichangensis. There is quite a bit of tempting to lop off frozen and apparently dead wood sprouts are particularly common on seed-grown trees. variability within the Changsha group, both in growth habit and fruit immediately after a freeze, the best time to prune cold- While water sprouts are the bane of most fruit grow- quality. Most specimens of Changsha have a very upright growth habit damaged citrus plants is after the first flush of spring ers, they often will mature normally on citrus and seem like other mandarins, but there are forms of Changsha that are spread- growth. Though dead or damaged wood is unsightly, to present no problems. Unless these limbs cross other ing, like Satsuma. Leaves are medium-sized and similar to other mandar- pruning too early causes even more damage and may limbs and prevent otherwise normal growth, it’s ins with a prominent drip tip. Fruit, which ripen in late September, are retard new growth. Researchers in Florida have found probably best to leave them. Juvenile citrus must grow medium tangerine size and very easy to peel. Inside, the flesh is bright that trees pruned after the first flush of growth recov- to a certain point before they begin blooming, and ex- orange and seedy, with four to six seeds per section. Some cultivars of cessive pruning of young limbs can keep them in a Changsha are very good, almost as good as Satsuma, whereas others are

10 Hardy Citrus for the Southeast Hardy Citrus for the Southeast 27 Southeastern conditions, but the plant should be reliably hardy to 15°F. More Kumquats Centennial Kumquat (variegation The Sex Life of Citrus Flavor: Sweet kumquat, excellent quality. in both leaves and fruit) Uses: Dessert. Citrus Hybridization Citrus are very easy to grow from seed, and in some cases this may Marumi or Round Kumquat Early hybridizers in the citrus be the only way to obtain a variety you are looking for. It’s possible sim- (Fortunella japonica) industry included Dr. Walter T. ply to take the seeds from a grocery store citrus, push them into the soil Hong Kong Kumquat (Fortunella hindsii) also called the golden bean Malayan Kumquat (Fortunella Swingle, responsible for developing kumquat is grown mostly as a novelty or as a parent for hybrids; the fruit of a houseplant, and watch them come up. As a class, citrus have low polyandra) the original trifoliate hybrids and are a mere one-half inch in diameter and are essentially inedible, with heat requirements for germination, though bottom heat will hasten this for classifying and clarifying so very little juice and large seeds. It does make a handsome ornamental or process and help the seeds germinate more evenly. many other citrus types and species. container plant. This species apparently grows wild on the sides of vol- But how do you know that the seedling that springs up is true to More Kumquat Hybrids A huge debt in the field of canic mountains in China. In the United States it must be grafted. type with the original? In a word, you don’t. All citrus can, at least theo- Lakeland Limequat hybridization is also owed to Dr. retically, produce hybrids, and even flowers that are self-pollinated can Flavor: Bitter kumquat, persistent off-flavor, poor quality. Tavares Limequat John Brown of Texas. Dr. Brown is a vary somewhat from the original. But there are some unique features Uses: Ornamental only. Lemonquat (Citrus limon x doctor by profession but a citrus about the sex life of citrus that make this less of a guessing game than Fortunella japonica) breeder by avocation, and it was you might imagine. Eustis Limequat (Fortunella japonica x Citrus aurantifolia) was one of sev- Razzlequat (Kumquat x through his efforts that many of the Most flowering plants reproduce sexually. That is, a flower is polli- eral limequats developed by Walter T. Swingle of the United States De- Eremocitrus glauca) interesting hybrids presented here nated and the resulting seed will produce a plant that is a combination partment of Agriculture in the early 1920s in an effort to develop a more were developed. Among his of the two parents. A seed from most plants will contain a single embryo cold-hardy lime. In this, he succeeded admirably. Eustis makes a small, contributions are the Clem-Yuz 3-3, that will develop into a plant, and as a result, most plants are called kumquat-sized yellow fruit that is very juicy with an excellent, powerful ten-degree kumquat, CiClem #10, monoembryonic. lime taste. The fruit looks like a key lime but is much more cold hardy, SanCitChang, Yuzuquat, and a host Citrus are different. Many types will fertilize regularly, but instead thriving in Southeastern coastal areas. It also makes an excellent con- of others. of a seed with just one embryo, citrus seeds often have two: one pro- tainer tree. Because it has the tendency to re-bloom during warm peri- duced by normal sexual reproduction and a second that is produced ods, over-wintered fruit can be especially appreciated the next summer. wholly from genetic material of the mother plant. The asexually pro-

duced embryo will dominate and the resulting plant will be genetically Flavor: Sour lime, no off-flavors, excellent quality. identical to the mother. In a sense, the plant has cloned itself, though the Uses: Juice. resulting seedling reverts to a juvenile type complete with heavy thorns

and a fairly long period before flowering. Citrus that reproduce in this Procimequat (Fortunella hindsii x Eustis limequat) produces tiny yellow The oranges of the Island are like manner are called polyembryonic, and most citrus fall into this category. to orange fruit on a dwarf tree. Procimequats are excellent ornamentals the blazing fire amongst the He gave us this eternal spring, However, there are some notable exceptions. Many true species of as they are precocious—seedlings as young as a year old have been emerald boughs, Which here enamels everything, citrus are monoembryonic, including the Ichang Papeda (Citrus ichangen- known to bloom and fruit in a 4-inch container. The fruit are generally And the lemons are like the paleness And sends the fowls to us in care, sis), kumquats (Fortunella japonica in particular) and most pummelos sour but have an interesting hint of lime. They are also very hardy for a (Citrus maxima). Several known and suspected hybrids are also monoem- of a lover who has spent the On daily visits through the air; citrus with no trifoliate parentage. Mature plants have taken upper sin- bryonic, including the Clementine tangerine (Citrus reticulata), Persian gle digits with minimal damage. The procimequat is hardy to 20°F and night crying. He hangs in shades the orange bright, lime (Citrus aurantifolia), and the temple orange (really a tangor, a cross probably to 15°F or lower if hardened off. Like golden lamps in a green night. between an orange and a mandarin). —11th Century poet Abd ur- Most common citrus such as oranges, grapefruit, lemons and most Flavor: Sour lime-kumquat, a few off-flavors, fair quality. Rahman Ibn Mohammed —From Bermudas, by English poet mandarins are polyembryonic and will come true to type. Because most Uses: Flavoring bottles of Mexican beer. The tiny fruit fit easily through Ibn Omar, describing Sicily Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) citrus have this trait, hybridization can be very difficult to achieve. In the the neck of the bottle. late 19th Century, when the first attempts at controlled hybridization

were attempted by the United States Department of Agriculture in Flor- Nippon Orangequat (Fortunella crassifolia x Citrus reticulata) is a cross ida, Walter T. Swingle reported that more than 1,100 sweet orange seeds between the Meiwa kumquat and the Satsuma mandarin orange. The pollinated with trifoliate orange pollen were required to produce the resulting tree is very cold hardy and specimens in protected sites have first citranges, and seven of these came from a single fruit. The good easily withstood upper single digits with no protection. Characteristics news is that polyembryony helps stabilize varieties, which allows seeds are intermediate between the two parents; the egg-shaped fruits are to be passed around with little chance of spreading diseases such as vi- bright orange inside and out with an edible peel. They’re sour and juicy, ruses. This unique characteristic allows amateurs to grow citrus from making an excellent marmalade and drink. Nippon orangequat bears seed, something you can’t do with, say, apples. reliably and abundantly under Southeastern conditions and rarely fails If you decide to grow citrus from seed, it’s worth knowing that seed- to make a crop. The plant is fairly low and spreading, reminiscent of Sat-

26 Hardy Citrus for the Southeast Hardy Citrus for the Southeast 11 ling citrus can be very thorny, especially as juveniles. upon the type; grapefruit can take up to 10 years before Many types lose this thorny tendency as they grow blooming, whereas procimequats (a cross between a Hardy Kumquats and Their Hybrids and mature, and flowering branches will have fewer Eustis limequat and the wild Hong Kong kumquat) Kumquats and Dormancy thorns. Also, all seedling citrus will take some time can bloom in less than a year from seed. As a general Meiwa Kumquat (Fortunella crassifolia) is probably a hybrid between While not as hardy as the trifoliate before blooming. How much time is required depends rule, citrus require four to seven years before blooming. Nagami and Marumi kumquats. Fruit are nearly globose, about 1.5 orange (Poncirus trifoliata) or the inches in diameter, with a tender peel and very little juice. It is one of the Ichang papeda (Citrus ichangensis), better kumquats for eating out of hand. There are seedling selections kumquats (Fortunella spp.) go com- available that do well on their own roots, and these seedling trees will

Grafted Trees Versus Own Roots pletely dormant in the winter and sometimes grow to about 15 feet tall, almost twice the size of a Meiwa on Many citrus varieties are remarkably compatible survives, it will return true to type the next year. Most are slow to resume growth in the trifoliate orange rootstock. spring, waiting until temperatures with each other, and there is a wealth of rootstocks to trifoliate hybrids are used as rootstocks and tolerate Flavor: Sweet kumquat, no off-flavors, excellent quality. choose from for grafting. Sweet orange can be grafted diverse soils very well, so they are a logical choice to consistently reach 65°F. This gives Uses: Dessert. onto sour orange, kumquats onto trifoliate orange, and grow on their own roots. them an enormous advantage dur-

so on. However, all of them have their problems. Some Other species and cultivars cannot grow on our ing the roller-coaster winters of the Nagami Kumquat (Fortunella margarita) appears to be a true species as are too dwarfing, others are disease-prone, and still soils on their own roots and must have a rootstock. Southeast. If they are frozen back, it readily sets hybrids when used as a female. This is the kumquat most others have delayed failure of the graft. There is an old Kumquats in particular do not grow well on their own they can also bloom on old wood, a often found in grocery stores, having a very attractive oval fruit about an saying among Florida citrus growers that you choose a roots in most Southeastern soils. And some cultivars, helpful trait after severe freezes. inch wide and two inches long. Each fruit usually has about four seeds. rootstock based upon how you want your tree to die. most notably hybrids that involve Citrus ichangensis as a Kumquats differ from most Even though it is the most commonly grown commercial kumquat, Na- Having said this, an important decision to make is parent, seem to flower and fruit more reliably on a other citrus in that the peel is gami is quite sour and there are other selections that are better. How- what rootstock to choose, or whether you should grow rootstock. In these cases, we unequivocally recom- sweet, whereas the juice is often ever, it pickles exceptionally well and makes an excellent marmalade. the citrus on its own roots. Our advice is to grow cit- mend the trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata). Trifoliate sour or bitter. Because of their sour rus on their own roots where feasible simply because if rootstock is extremely cold hardy and dwarfs the tree juice, the best kumquats are those Flavor: Sour kumquat, no off-flavors, good quality. the tree is knocked back to the roots by bitter cold but while ensuring exceptional fruit quality. with the least juice. Uses: Dessert, preserves. Most kumquats are difficult to grow on their own roots but are Ten-Degree Kumquat (Fortunella margarita hybrid) is an open- About Cold Hardiness excellent shrubs or small trees on pollinated form from Dr. John Brown of Texas. It makes an exceptionally trifoliate orange rootstock. handsome ornamental tree, with deep green leaves. The leaves are typical A question which everyone has but is the hardest One of the easiest methods of cold protection for All kumquats make shrubs or kumquat shape, small and pointed, but the ten-degree kumquat has to answer is: “How hardy is my plant?” With citrus, citrus is to choose a variety that is well adapted for small trees that rarely exceed 15 feet leaves that have a distinctive wavy shape. Fruit are essentially seedless this can be even more difficult to answer than for other your area. It’s always easier to care for a plant that is in height, and they can be kept and small kumquat size, about 1 inch long and oblong, with a spicy taste plants. Although citrus, like all plants, have definite thriving to begin with. The good news about citrus smaller by budding onto Flying with little juice. The tree is so named because the original survived 7°F limits to how much cold they can take, where that line and the Southeast is that for most areas, there will be Dragon trifoliate rootstock, and by and more than 60 hours below freezing in Texas. When grafted on trifo- is drawn depends upon not only the lowest tempera- at least one type of citrus that you can grow. Edibility, judicious pruning. Kumquats are liate orange rootstock it eventually grows to about 12 feet tall, making a ture reached but also the duration of the freeze, the however, may be a challenge, but our advice for most of generally hardy to about 15°F. large globose shrub or small tree. size and health of the plant, how well watered the the Southeast inland from the immediate coast is to plant is preceding the freeze, microclimates, and what grow citrus for their ornamental and culinary qualities Flavor: Semi-sweet kumquat, no off-flavors, good quality. mechanical protection is used in the landscape. and to buy dessert-quality fruit at the grocery store or Uses: Dessert, preserves. The hardier types of citrus (Poncirus trifoliata local farmer’s market. hybrids and Citrus ichangensis hybrids) are surprisingly A statement such as “hardy to 10 degrees” is help- Chang Shou Kumquat (Fortunella obovata) is rather obscure and found hardy during short freezes during which the tempera- ful, but only tells part of the story. It’s a fact that no only in nurseries that specialize in citrus. However, it is worth seeking ture does not fall below 15°F. Hardy citrus will be es- two freeze events are alike. Not only do slight varia- out because it has a tender, almost melting peel, in contrast with most sentially unaffected by these types of freezes, which tions in temperature make a difference, but also condi- other kumquats which have rather tough peels. Chang Shou has very are the most frequent types of freezes throughout the tions before and during a freeze can dramatically affect tasty, semi-sweet flesh with little juice. Fruit are a medium-orange color Southeast. The real killers are those freezes that bring the damage to citrus. A daytime high of 45°F followed about the shape and size of a ping-pong ball. Fruit have from 1 to 3 seeds temperatures which can plummet to 10°F or lower and by a quick dip to 10°F, with a freeze duration of less per fruit, and the seeds are generally monoembryonic. Unlike most kum- remain below freezing for one or more days. During than 24 hours, will damage citrus far less than a day- quats, which have long, pointed leaves, Chang Shou has medium-sized, these freezes, most of the hardier types will defoliate time high of 70°F followed by a lengthy freeze of 48 or rounded leaves. The tree otherwise is typical for kumquats, with a and some may experience minor twig damage. The har- 72 hours. So weather conditions before a freeze can shrubby habit and small stature, which is accentuated when the plant is diest will bounce back readily in the spring. determine success or failure. grafted onto trifoliate orange rootstock. Hardiness is unknown under

12 Hardy Citrus for the Southeast Hardy Citrus for the Southeast 25 ing a mandarin (Citrus reticulata) of one type or another. They are The Trendy Yuzu USDA Hardiness Zones For example, the terrible freeze of 1989 dropped temperatures to included here because they illustrate the fact that hybrids with Citrus In the search for novel flavors, the The United States Department of about 17°F in the Orlando, Florida area and wreaked havoc on citrus, ichangensis can be quite tasty without sacrificing cold-hardiness. Both of West has often turned to the East. Agriculture has assigned hardiness killing some trees outright and knocking others to the ground. The same the hybrids described here are better than any trifoliate orange hybrid. The Yuzu, until recently unknown zones based on average annual temperature in Aiken, South Carolina will scarcely cause citrus to drop a ClemYuz 3-3 produces small, bright-orange tangerines of market qual- in the West, has found its place minimum temperatures. Here are leaf. Why? In part, it is because different cultivars are grown, but even ity. Best of all, it’s marketed in Texas as the ten-degree tangerine because among trendy ingredients in high- the zones used in the southeastern the same types of citrus will be damaged far less by cold in areas where the original Texas plant withstood temperatures below 10°F and more end restaurants from the Napa Val- United States and northern Florida. the freeze is preceded by cooler air and soil temperatures. Excessively than 60 consecutive hours below freezing in 1989. One drawback is that ley to New York. One enthusiastic warm temperatures before a freeze can induce citrus to break dormancy the fruit doesn’t ripen until mid-December, making it susceptible to chef describes the flavor as lemon USDA Temperature and make them vulnerable to temperatures that would leave them other- early freezes. The cultivar ClemYuz 2-2, a sister hybrid, produces very with a hint of tangerine, grapefruit Zone °Fahrenheit °Celsius wise unaffected. 6a -10 to -5 -23 to -21 attractive fruit of a large tangerine size that peel very easily. The fruit are and pine. Yuzu juice and rind are Of course, all plants have a threshold temperature, below which they 6b -5 to 0 -21 to -18 sweet and moderately juicy, with no unpleasant aftertaste. Fruit of used as a flavoring in cocktails, will die. Citrus are no exception. But before that limit is reached, it is 7a 0 to 5 -18 to -15 ClemYuz 2-2 ripen in October, a distinct advantage over ClemYuz 3-3. marinades and desserts. best to keep things cool and quiet during the winter. 7b 5 to 10 -15 to -12 This cultivar has the unfortunate tendency toward alternate bearing. Yuzu prices are high. In some Aside from extreme cold, wind is perhaps the greatest enemy of cit- 8a 10 to 15 -12 to -9 American cities a single fruit sells rus in winter. Cold accompanied by high winds will rapidly desiccate Flavor: Sweet tangerine, no off-flavors, good quality. 8b 15 to 20 -9 to -7 for up to $2.50. Legal budwood, citrus leaves and will result in leaf drop after the weather warms. While 9a 20 to 25 -7 to -4 Uses: Dessert. meaning certified disease-free, is this is not a total disaster for the hardiest hybrids, which possess the

Note: Clem-Yuz 3-3 can be used as a lime substitute before it fully ripens now available, and new Yuzu groves ability to bloom after defoliation, part of the charm of citrus is the fact in late December. Fahrenheit to Celsius are being planted in California. for Freezing Temperatures that they are evergreen. A bare citrus tree is no more attractive than a The Yuzu may be new to the maple or oak in winter. Yuzuquat is a Yuzu and Nagami kumquat (Fortunella margarita) hybrid, West, but the peoples of eastern °F °C It’s best to keep citrus well watered in the winter months. This is one of many cultivars developed by Dr. John Brown in Texas. This at- Asia have used it time out of mind. -10 to -9 -23 not usually a problem in areas away from the immediate coast, where -8 to -7 -22 tractive citrus, one of the best Citrus ichangensis hybrids, has large, deep- It has become a symbol of the win- winter cold fronts are typically preceded by plenty of rain during the -6 to -5 -21 green leaves and produces lemon-like, smooth-skinned fruit that’s edi- ter solstice in Japan. The golden -4 to -3 -20 winter. Along the Southeastern coasts, however, cold fronts typically ble, skin and all. Yuzuquat is ripe by late September, before fruits color, globes are floated in a hot bath -2 -19 weaken and winter is often the dry season. This situation becomes more and tends to be a little tastier early in the season. The fruit are very soft taken on solstice day. -1 to 0 -18 pronounced the farther south you go. and while they hold well on the tree, they become progressively softer as 1 to 2 -17 If you want a citrus cultivar that is marginal for your area, you will the season progresses. This cultivar is also extremely hardy, enduring 7°F 3 to 4 -16 need to consider planting it in a favorable microclimate and count on in Texas and being completely unaffected by temperatures in the lower Another Yuzu Hybrid 5 -15 protecting it during extreme cold spells. The easiest type of protection is teens in Georgia. Yuzu x Sweet Orange 6 to 7 -14 heavy mulch around the base and perhaps a mound of earth to protect 8 to 9 -13 Flavor: Sour lemon, no off-flavors, good quality. the main trunk, or in the case of grafted trees, the bud union. If you de- 10 to 11 -12 cide to do this, be sure to remove the soil after the weather warms. Uses: Cooking, juice. 12 to 13 -11 Frost cloth draped over the whole of a tree and touching the ground 14 -10 can add up to 6°F to the inside. A very effective low-tech approach is to Yuzvange is another hybrid developed by Dr. John Brown and is a 15 to 16 -9 place 50-gallon plastic barrels full of water around the tree and then cross between Yuzu and the Savage citrange, making it one-quarter 17 to 18 -8 cover the whole thing with frost cloth. mandarin, one-quarter Citrus ichangensis, one-quarter trifoliate orange and 19 to 20 -7 Some people have decided that it’s worth the trouble to build a PVC one-quarter sweet orange. Talk about complex! This hybrid is remark- 21 to 22 -6 23 -5 frame around the citrus and cover the whole thing with plastic, heating able because the crossing of Yuzu with the citrange almost totally can- 24 to 25 -4 the temporary greenhouse with light bulbs or portable heaters. Most cels the off-flavors of the trifoliate orange, leaving a fruit with a nice 26 to 27 -3 people who do this are interested in overwintering the fruit rather than lemon flavor. Trees are slow and make small shrubs. Leaves are unifoli- 28 to 29 -2 merely protecting the tree. Two important considerations here are to ate, intermediate between mandarin and Yuzu types with a prominent 30 to 31 -1 remember that the plastic should not come into contact with the leaves, “drip-tip.” The yellow fruit are globose, about 2 inches in diameter, and 32 0 and that the enclosure should be vented on warm days. Even on a rela- have a good lemon flavor and no trifoliate aftertaste. If there is a draw- tively cool day when temperatures outside are in the 50s, the inside of a back, it is that they are excessively seedy with fruit commonly having 10 greenhouse can soar into the 80s or even higher. Exposure to high tem- to 20 seeds. It should do well throughout Zone 8. peratures such as these can stress the tree or at the very least induce it to Flavor: Sour lemon, no off-flavors, good quality. break dormancy, making it even less hardy than otherwise. Uses: Cooking, juice.

24 Hardy Citrus for the Southeast Hardy Citrus for the Southeast 13 How Hardy Are They? The Very Hardy: The Ichang Papeda and Its Hybrids Citrus hardiness is harder to predict than palm fully dormant when cold arrives. Temperatures listed Ichang Papeda Hybrids Ichang Papeda (Citrus ichangensis) is the most cold-hardy evergreen cit- hardiness. Factors affecting hardiness are minimum here and with the descriptions of each variety are Unlike hybrids between the trifoli- rus, withstanding temperatures down to 0°F. In shape and character this temperature, freeze duration, conditions before the approximate, and indicate where fully dormant plants ate orange and other citrus, Ichang species is much like the trifoliate orange, and like the trifoliate orange it freeze, soil moisture and wind protection. Citrus are begin to experience significant damage. papeda (Citrus ichangensis) hybrids produces a fruit that is essentially inedible. Citrus ichangensis has long, usually hardier if they’re healthy, well watered and tend to have a better balance of the straight thorns. Its leaves are uniquely shaped, with a flared petiole base two parents. When hybridized with that is so wide that the leaf often appears to be a double leaf. The leaves Page Hardy to about -15°F (-26°C) more desirable citrus, fruit quality have pointed “drip tips” that are typical of plants from high-rainfall ar- 16 Trifoliate Orange Poncirus trifoliata vastly improves. For example, the eas. This wild species is grown only as a curiosity because its fruit is Yuzu, which is an Ichang papeda bumpy, dry, and filled with huge, thick seeds. The Ichang papeda is Page Hardy to about 0°F (-18°C) and mandarin (Citrus reticulata) adapted to steep hillsides and prefers well-drained soil to thrive. Like 23 Ichang Papeda Citrus ichangensis cross, has a sour but not bitter fruit the trifoliate orange, Citrus ichangensis makes a handsome ornamental tree. that makes a very acceptable lemon Flavor: Bitter lemon, some off-flavors, poor quality. Page Hardy to about 5°F (-15°C) substitute. Second-generation hy- Uses: Hybridization, ornamental. 20–21 Citrandarins Poncirus trifoliata x Citrus reticulata brids have even better fruit, with

17 Citranges Poncirus trifoliata x Citrus sinensis some of the Yuzu hybrids producing Ichang Lemon is an Ichang papeda crossed with a pummelo (Citrus 20 Citrumelos Poncirus trifoliata x Citrus paradisi fruit of tangerine quality with little ichangensis x Citrus maxima). It originated in China, where it is called 30 Nansho Daidai Sour Orange Citrus taiwanica loss of cold-hardiness. So there is hope yet for a hardy, tasty citrus Shangjuan, which means “fragrant ball.” This vigorous, spreading tree is

hybrid. very ornamental, resembling a grapefruit with large, wide leaves with a Page Hardy to about 10°F (-12°C) A characteristic of nearly all flared petiole. It produces clusters of large, bumpy, seedy, yellow grape- 32 Bloomsweet (Kinkoji) Grapefruit Citrus paradisi hybrid hybrids involving Citrus ichangensis is fruit-like fruits, which can be used like lemons. The fruit are extremely 21 Citrangequats (Poncirus trifoliata x Citrus sinensis) x Fortunella spp. the prevalence of large, pointed juicy with each one producing as much as a half-cup of juice. When over- 22 Complex Poncirus trifoliata hybrids: Glen Citrangedin, US 119, SanCitChang #10, Roundleaf seeds. Nearly all of the hybrids have ripe, it tastes like a grapefruit and is quite edible with sugar. The Ichang 23 ClemYuz hybrids Citrus ichangensis x Citrus reticulata them, though not always in the lemon also is very hardy, enduring temperatures down to 10°F and below 23 Ichang Lemon Citrus ichangensis x Citrus maxima quantity of the parent. A few other with no permanent damage as long as it is protected from wind.

23 Yuzu Citrus ichangensis x Citrus reticulata cold-hardy citrus (notably Keraji Flavor: Sour grapefruit, some off-flavors, fair quality. 24 Yuzuquat (Citrus ichangensis x Citrus reticulata) x Fortunella margarita and Changsha mandarins) also have Uses: Dessert, cooking, juice. 24 Yuzvange Citrus ichangensis hybrid these large seeds, which indicates

25 Ten-degree Kumquat Fortunella japonica hybrid that they too may be a hybrid of Yuzu is an ancient, natural hybrid (Citrus ichangensis x Citrus reticulata) some kind involving Citrus ichangen- 26 Nippon Orangequat Fortunella crassifolia x Citrus reticulata that originated in Japan, where it was often used as a rootstock for Sat- 27 Changsha Mandarin Citrus reticulata sis. suma. Yuzu produces a narrow, upright, thorny tree, similar to a trifoli- 28 Juanita Tangerine Citrus reticulata Hybrids using Citrus ichangensis ate orange. The fruit is yellow and the size of a medium-sized tangerine tend to be very hardy even into the with a lemon-like taste and an easily-peeled but rough skin. It’s used in second and third generation. Like Page Hardy to the low teens (-11°C) Japan like a lemon and the peel is used in spicy dishes. It’s very resistant the trifoliate orange and its hybrids, 28 Keraji Mandarin Citrus reticulata to cold, and like many Citrus ichangensis hybrids, can go deciduous during Citrus ichangensis hybrids can still 29 Seville Sour Orange Citrus aurantium cold spells with no loss to fruiting wood. When fully dormant it can tol- flower and fruit after being defoli- 30 Smooth Flat Seville Sour Orange Citrus aurantium erate temperatures as low as 10°F and perhaps lower. ated. One peculiarity of Citrus

ichangensis and its hybrids is that Flavor: Sour lemon, some off-flavors, good to excellent quality. Page Hardy to about 15°F (-9°C) they all seem to flower and fruit Uses: Cooking, juice. 25–26 Kumquats Fortunella spp. more freely if grafted onto the trifo- Note: Yuzu peel is edible, and the albedo is distinctly sweet, much like a 26 Procimequat Fortunella hindsii x Eustace limequat liate orange rather than grown on kumquat. 27 Sunquat and Marmaladequat Fortunella crassifolia hybrids their own roots. 27 Calamandarin Citrus reticulata hybrid Clementine-Yuzu hybrids were developed by Dr. John Brown, and 29–30 Sour Oranges Citrus aurantium are only one-quarter Citrus ichangensis, with the other three-quarters be- 32 Sanbokan Grapefruit Citrus paradisi hybrid or Citrus sulcata

14 Hardy Citrus for the Southeast Hardy Citrus for the Southeast 23 fruit are very different from Thomasville in that they are usually much More Citrangequats 26 Eustis Limequat Fortunella japonica x Citrus aurantifolia more oblate (though there are trees that have more oblong fruit) and a 19-15-7 bright orange color, almost red. Unlike Thomasville, Sinton fruit never Telfair Page Hardy to the upper teens (-8°C) become remotely sweet, and the peel has a spicy taste. Like most other 29 Satsuma Citrus reticulata citrangequats, however, the trees are strongly upright and very spiny. 28 Long Huang Kat Mandarin Citrus reticulata

Flavor: Sour lime, little off-flavor, fair quality. Uses: Preserves, juices. Page Hardy to about 20°F (-7°C) 30–31 Sweet Oranges Citrus sinensis Glen Citrangedin is an interesting cross is between a citrange and a Complex Hybrids of the 31–32 Duncan, Marsh and Ruby Red Grapefruits Citrus paradisi calamondin, itself believed to be a kumquat–mandarin hybrid. If the Trifoliate Orange 32 Meyer Lemon Citrus limon hybrid calamondin is a hybrid, this would make the citrangedin a combination There have been numerous crosses 33 Ujkitsu Lemon Citrus limon hybrid of four different species of citrus representing three different genera with the first generation of trifoliate (Poncirus trifoliata, Citrus reticulata, Citrus sinensis and Fortunella sp.). Glen hybrids with other more common citrangedin is interesting as well because it carries a mixture of unifoli- citrus in an attempt to make the ate, bifoliate, and trifoliate leaves. The fruit is orange and about the size fruit more palatable without It’s a Matter of Taste of a Calamondin, and reportedly just as sour, though most of the trifoli- sacrificing cold hardiness. At the end of each citrus cultivar’s description in juice. Someone attempting to eat it as a dessert fruit, ate taste is gone. This cultivar should be hardy to about 10°F. Unfortunately, the opposite seems the following section, a few comments are made about however, probably would be disappointed at best. to occur: cold-hardiness leaves long Flavor: Sour lime, no off-flavors, good quality. its relative merits. To give some consistency of com- Taste is highly subjective. If you are someone who before flavor returns. However, the parison, the author has evaluated the flavor of each demands the very sweetest of fruit, then many of the Uses: Juice, preserves. forms listed below do represent cultivar according to the chart below. cultivars listed in this publication will be unsatisfac- important breakthroughs and Each fruit was judged according to its most logical tory. The author enjoys many different flavors and SanCitChang #10 Roundleaf it is a very attractive plant with an un- suggest that with further work, it usual leaf shape unlike any other citrus listed here. Instead of the usual use, ranging from “dessert,” meaning edible out-of- doesn’t mind even a few off-notes, drinks coffee with- could be possible to have a sweet hand, to “only good for throwing at people.” To give an out sugar, eats muscadines—skin, seeds and all—and elliptical leaf with a pointed tip, this hybrid between the Sanford Zone 7 citrus…maybe. citrange and Changsha mandarin has a leaf that is nearly round. It pro- example, if a fruit such as key lime were evaluated, it holds Goody’s powder under the tongue when a head- duces a bumpy orange fruit that looks like a tangerine and is reputed to should not be judged as a sweet fruit but rather as a ache strikes. be sweet. It has proven hardy as far north as Dallas, Texas but there are sour fruit. It would be classed as sour lime, no off- The reader is encouraged to use the chart below to no fruiting specimens yet in the Southeast. There are several other San- flavors, excellent quality, and useful for cooking and complete his or her own analysis. CitChang cultivars, but the #10 appears to be the best tasting. All should be hardy in Zone 8.

Flavor: Sweet tangerine, no off-flavors, good quality. VARIETY ______Uses: Dessert. Note: The other SanCitChang cultivars differ widely in taste. One form CHECK A DESCRIPTOR with a large yellow fruit has an aftertaste that is strongly reminiscent of ketchup. TYPE □ sweet □ semi-sweet □ sour □ bitter U.S. 119 is a citrumelo crossed with a sweet orange cross [(Poncirus trifo- liata x Citrus paradisi) x Citrus sinensis] with large grapefruit-like leaves and TASTES LIKE □ orange □ tangerine □ grapefruit □ kumquat □ lemon □ lime orange fruit. The tree has a mixture of unifoliate, bifoliate, and trifoliate leaves, with trifoliate dominating. The fruit is very attractive, with a deep orange color and smooth peel. Inside, the fruit is very attractive OFF FLAVORS □ none □ insignificant □ moderate □ strong □ persistent with a rich orange color and few to no seeds. The taste is sweet with just a touch of trifoliate aftertaste. While U.S. 119 has been touted as hardy to QUALITY □ excellent □ good □ fair □ poor 10°F, it remains to be seen if this is true. Young plants have been injured by temperatures in the lows 20s. USES □ dessert □ juices □ cooking □ preserves □ target practice Flavor: Sweet orange, few off-flavors, good quality. Uses: Dessert.

22 Hardy Citrus for the Southeast Hardy Citrus for the Southeast 15 More Citrandarins CiClem #10 Citrandarin was developed by Dr. John Brown of Texas. Trifoliata x Minneola As the CiClem name implies, it was one of a number of crosses with CITRUS VARIETIES FOR THE SOUTHEAST Trifoliata x Cleopatra Mandarin Clementine mandarin, which readily sets hybrids. This particular culti- var has fruit the size of an egg with light orange flesh and is sometimes called the golden lime. When diluted with an equal amount of water the juice makes a good limeade drink. The tree is spreading and large with few thorns on bearing wood.

Hardiest of All: The Trifoliate Orange and Its Hybrids Flavor: Sour lime, some off-flavors, fair to good quality. Trifoliate Orange (Poncirus trifoliata) is the hardiest true citrus, eas- Trifoliate Orange Hybrids Uses: Juice. ily withstanding temperatures well below 0°F and thriving as far north After the great freezes of the late

as Cape Cod, Massachusetts and as far inland as St. Louis, Missouri. 1890s in Florida, hybridizers from Citsuma Citrandarin is probably a hybrid with Satsuma. It makes a Unlike any other citrus, it has a marked winter dormancy and resumes the United States Department of fairly large, spreading tree with large, very dark green trifoliate leaves growth in the spring only after days are greater in length than nights. It Agriculture bred the trifoliate or- that are almost totally evergreen. One tree owned by the author pro- is native to river floodplains in China, and as a result can tolerate a vari- ange with sweet and sour oranges, duces wildly divergent fruit; some are rounded but slightly flattened at ety of soil types and conditions as long as the soil is well drained. The grapefruit, mandarins and kum- the top and bottom and nearly as large as a typical grocery store tanger- trifoliate orange has widely naturalized in many areas of the Southeast, quats to produce a bewildering ar- Citrangequats ine. Others are smaller and more rounded, and still others are heavily mainly in old pastures and along the banks of streams and rivers. ray of hybrids. In most of its hy- Citrangequats probably should be fingered, almost as much so as Buddha’s Hand citron. All are richly col- Poncirus trifoliata is an upright tree with a strong central leader and brids, Poncirus trifoliata tends to considered kumquat hybrids as the ored inside and out, with a deep orange peel and golden flesh. The juice branches that grow at narrow angles to the trunk. With spines as long dominate, with its progeny usually genus Fortunella accounts for half is sweet, though unmistakably tinged with trifoliate orange, but it takes as 4 inches, it’s one of the thorniest cultivated plants, and can be used as having trifoliate leaves that are more their parentage [(Poncirus trifoliata x very little dilution to remove the unpleasant trifoliate aftertaste. The tree a formidable security hedge. Still, Poncirus trifoliata and its variants, or less evergreen, and small, sour Citrus sinensis) x Fortunella spp.]. appears to be very hardy, tolerating brief dips to the upper single digits ‘English Large’, named for its larger blossoms, and the contorted cultivar fruit that is dominated by the bitter They are included here because they taste of the trifoliate parent. There Fahrenheit with no loss to foliage or wood. ‘Flying Dragon’, make handsome ornamentals. do have trifoliate orange in their The trifoliate orange differs from other citrus in several important are a few exceptions, but the rule background, and are interesting Flavor: Semi-sweet orange-tangerine, some off-flavors, fair quality. ways. It is deciduous, has three leaflets (technically called trifoliolate), holds. The silver lining is that trifo- because these hybrids suggest the Uses: Juice. and produces bud scales that protect the next year’s growth and flowers. liate hybrids are the hardiest of the possibility of removing the bad fla- The fruit are yellow to orange and have a typical citrus hesperidium lot. vors of trifoliate orange without Thomasville Citrangequat is a very old cultivar developed by the shape, meaning that they’re divided into sections. The fruit are edible, There are hundreds of hybrids sacrificing cold hardiness. USDA that crossed a Willits citrange with Nagami kumquat. It is the meaning that you won’t die from eating them, but they are exceedingly between the trifoliate orange and Citrangequats were developed in an best citrangequat yet developed, with egg-shaped, egg-sized fruit that bitter and gummy. just about any other known citrus. attempt to combine the vigor of the make a good lime substitute in summer and become edible out-of-hand The few listed here are representa- citranges with the extreme ten- Flavor: Bitter lemon, persistent off-flavors, poor quality. by Christmas. By then the fruit taste like a slightly unripe orange. Be- tive rather than inclusive, and dis- dency toward winter dormancy of Uses: Hybridization, target practice, ornamental. cause the fruit have a thin, sweet albedo (the white inner peel), they cussion does not include some of the kumquat. A number have been make excellent marmalade. The tree is very upright, usually with several the rarer forms. developed over the years, but all of leaders that shoot for the sky before branching. Juvenile plants have Dragon Lime (Poncirus trifoliata hybrid) is a cultivar that arose as a them tend to be vigorous, hardy characteristic trifoliate foliage and wicked thorns, but leaves on bearing chance seedling in a planting of Flying Dragon trifoliate orange seeds. It trees with egg-shaped fruit. Nota- wood are usually unifoliate, with thorns much reduced. Thomasville is remarkable in a number of respects, the foremost being that trifoliate More Trifoliate Orange bly, the addition of kumquat blood citrangequat is among the most precocious of citrus; individual plants orange was the seed parent. The trifoliate orange as a rule is highly Hybrids apparently removes much of the have been known to flower in four years from seed. polyembryonic and is usually used only for pollen. The pollen donor of Citradia (Poncirus trifoliata x trifoliate taint, and in some of the the dragon lime is unknown, but probably was a sweet orange. This cul- Citrus aurantium) citrangequats it is almost wholly Flavor: Sweet orange-lime, no off-flavors, good quality. tivar strongly resembles a standard Flying Dragon, with twisted stems Citraldin (Poncirus trifoliata x absent. The cultivars here were Uses: Dessert, juice, preserves. and curved thorns, though the thorns are not as heavy as the trifoliate Calamondin) named for the location they first Note: Thomasville citrangequat makes an excellent lime substitute from parent. Fruit are quite large for a trifoliate hybrid, almost as large as a Citremon (Poncirus trifoliata x fruited in the 1920s. Thomasville mid-July onward, but isn’t sufficiently sweet to eat out of hand until De- sweet orange, and reportedly have a sweet limeade-like taste. There is Meyer Lemon) was named for the southwestern cember. some trifoliate odor but almost no trifoliate aftertaste. If the fruit lives Tai-Tri (Poncirus trifoliata x Georgia town, and Sinton for Sin- up to initial reports, it may turn out to be the best trifoliate hybrid yet Citrus taiwanica) ton, Texas. Both cultivars are relia- Sinton Citrangequat is a cultivar arising from the same parentage as developed. It also suggests that there are monoembryonic forms of the bly hardy to 10°F and have recovered Thomasville, but Sinton is markedly different in a number of ways. For trifoliate orange out there, and that hybrids using the trifoliate orange as from even lower temperatures. one thing, Sinton always has unifoliate leaves, even as a seedling. The

16 Hardy Citrus for the Southeast Hardy Citrus for the Southeast 21 though taller and not quite as thorny. It tends to be semi-deciduous in A Rare Citrange Hybrid Citranges the seed parent may result in better-tasting hybrids. Hardiness of this the open and will lose about half its leaves each winter, and in exposed Troyer Citrange x Rangpur Lime Citranges are crosses between the cultivar is unknown, but should be comparable to other trifoliate hybrids. locations can totally defoliate. This does not seem to affect the fruiting trifoliate orange and the sweet or- Flavor: Sweet lime, no or very little off-flavor, good quality. habit of the plant, however. Rusk produces fruits about two inches in ange (Poncirus trifoliata x Citrus sinen- Uses: Dessert fruit. diameter that ripen to a rich orange color. The fruits are thin-skinned The fruit should carry a warning label: sis). None of the early hybrids pro- and as brightly colored as some mandarins. Inside, the fruit is golden duced a commercial-quality fruit, Caution, you are not really being poi- Morton Citrange yellow with up to 6 seeds. It is perhaps the sweetest citrange, though and subsequent crosses made in the is one of the best of the early hybrids developed soned—it just tastes that way. more than a century ago by the United States Department of Agricul- again the off-flavor of the trifoliate parent persists. The fruit reportedly 20th Century have produced a diz- makes a good marmalade. —Stewart Nagle, in Citrus for zying array of hybrids, almost all ture. It makes a large, upright tree that looks much like a sweet orange. the Gulf Coast, describing with bad-tasting fruit. Apparently, Morton citrange leaves are quite large and tend to be more evergreen Flavor: Semi-sweet orange, some off-flavors, fair quality. than some of the other citranges, making the tree very ornamental. It also Phelps cup-leaf citrange Poncirus trifoliata is a true species, Uses: Juice, preserves. has the largest fruit of any of the citranges, fully the size of an orange and while most cultivated citrus are just as brightly colored, with a thick peel that adheres tightly to the combinations of several forms. True Dunstan Citrumelo may be the best overall hybrid with 50 percent Citrumelos flesh. The fruit does have a fair amount of sweet, but like almost all of the species tend to dominate hybrids, trifoliate parentage. The tree is initially upright but becomes more Citrumelos are crosses between the trifoliate hybrids still has an off flavor. The fruit is large enough to eat and the bad flavors and leaf charac- spreading as it matures, much like its parent the grapefruit. This grape- trifoliate orange and grapefruit like a grapefruit and with some sugar it is quite edible. teristics of the trifoliate orange tend fruit hybrid produces 4-inch yellow fruit, which if sprinkled with sugar, (Poncirus trifoliata x Citrus paradisi). to persist. Flavor: Sour grapefruit, some off-flavors, fair quality. smell and taste like an ordinary grapefruit, harvested perhaps a bit too Like most hybrids, citrumelos are If none of the trifoliate hybrids Uses: Dessert, juices, preserves. early. Unfortunately, this cultivar is extremely hard to find, but worth intermediate between the parents, produce a dessert-quality fruit, all seeking out. Dunstan citrumelo appears to be extremely hardy. A speci- but the trifoliate leaves persist, as make handsome ornamental trees Troyer Citrange and Carrizo Citrange men in Mt. Olive, North Carolina endured the below-zero temperatures does the thorny nature of the tree. are crosses between the with attractive fruit that can be of the 1980s that wiped out all other citrus in the area. They are commonly used as root- trifoliate orange and a navel orange. And the navel orange parent shows used for a variety of culinary pur- stocks for other citrus in Florida through in its highly attractive fruits, which do indeed resemble minia- Flavor: Sour grapefruit, some off-flavors, fair to good quality. poses. Cooking and dilution of the and are hardy to about 5°F. ture navel oranges. The tree looks much like Morton citrange, though juice tends to eliminate the undesir- Use: Dessert. somewhat spreading, and even in the lower Piedmont Plateau will grow able flavors of the trifoliate orange as large as a Natchez crape myrtle. Troyer has one of the largest flowers Swingle Citrumelo is a more common citrumelo. It is more commonly More Citrumelos parent. One cultivar worth seeking of any hardy citrus, which can be as much as an inch in diameter. The found not because it tastes better, but because it is more often used as a Sacator out is CiTemple Edible, a cross with cultivar Carrizo is indeed a different type, but the fruit produced by both rootstock on which other more desirable citrus are grafted. When the US 80-5 (a 10-foot specimen a Temple orange that reportedly has are identical and so they are included here together. Both produce attrac- graft is killed back by cold or otherwise succumbs, Swingle will often planted against a home in Athens, almost no trifoliate off flavors. To tive, sour, extremely juicy fruits that make a good orangeade drink if you grow to tree form. The fruit is more pear-shaped than Dunstan but is of a Tennessee easily survived 2°F in our knowledge it is not currently have a large bag of sugar. The juice also can be used to make excellent comparable size, much seedier, and far less edible. Both Dunstan and 2003) being grown anywhere in the “lemon” pies. Swingle are very hardy, enduring temperatures in the low single digits Southeast. Citranges are hardy to Flavor: Sour orange, much off-flavor, fair quality. Fahrenheit without permanent injury as long as these temperatures are around 5°F. Uses: Juice, cooking. not prolonged. Note: Cooking drives away the cloying and persistent trifoliate taste, as More Citrange Varieties Flavor: Bitter grapefruit, persistent off-flavors, poor quality. #1416 does dilution 2:1 with water—and lots of sugar. Uses: Ornamental. Large size and grenade shape make it excellent for C-32 throwing. Benton Citrange was developed in Australia as a rootstock. It pro- Citrandarins C-35 duces a somewhat spreading tree with medium-sized, mostly evergreen As the name suggests, this is a class CiTemple Edible Changsha x English Large Citrandarin is reportedly the hardiest trifoliate leaves. The fruit resembles Troyer citrange, but lacks much of of hybrids between the trifoliate Cunningham citrus hybrid of all. It seems to be hardy to 5°F and specimens growing in the trifoliate bitterness, being merely sour. Fruit are fairly large, up to 2 orange and mandarins, or tangerines Cup Leaf areas completely exposed to wind and cold partially defoliate but are inches in diameter, and are highly colored, looking like small sweet or- as they are commonly known in the Sanford otherwise unharmed. The tree is large and upright, much like the trifoli- anges. x Savage ate parent, and fruit is variable in size and texture. Some are large and United States (Poncirus trifoliata Uvalde Flavor: Sour orange, some off-flavors, fair quality. smooth, others are smaller and somewhat fuzzy. All are nearly round and Citrus reticulata). Most were bred Willits universally sour, though the trifoliate taste is blunted. for use as rootstocks, but the culti- Uses: Juice. vars listed below have merit as or- Yuma Flavor: Sour lemon, some off-flavors, fair quality. namentals and for their various culi- Trifoliate x Spanish sweet orange Rusk Citrange is a trifoliate cross with Ruby blood orange. Rusk Uses: Ornamental, cooking. nary uses. Hamelin x Flying Dragon makes a strongly upright tree, looking much like the trifoliate orange,

20 Hardy Citrus for the Southeast Hardy Citrus for the Southeast 17