The Tropical Fruit Forum

Well Zitrusgaerner, it sounds to me according to Ilya, that almost all seedlings from Ichangensis are actually hybrids of Ichangensis, so our plants aren't true Ichang papeda, no?

Is it possible that some seeds from Ichangensis fruit may produce a true Ichangensis? It can self pollinate, no?  If not, it is probably worth trying to plant seeds from Ichangensis fruit to get more random cold-hardy hybrids, right? 

Ilya, I parked the truck at the end of that metal guard rail on west bound side of Hwy 74 at the sign that said " Livingston Creek ", and walked down the length of the guard rail, scanning the woods as I walked until I got up to the bridge crossing the creek and walked down the steep embankment and jumped across a small flowing ditch/ stream to get to the island/ creek bank described in the story. That bush you got a picture of looks like one of many scrubby laurel bushes I've seen in the area. We've had a pretty cold winter here this year and all the trifoliata I've seen in this state are almost completely leafless right now. I traveled the length of this state this weekend in the passenger seat , while my husband drove, looking out the window looking for citrus trees on the edge of the woods and in people's yards like a fanatic. I really wish I had seen a trifoliata or s citrange in those woods. I even asked local extension agent and park rangers about the swamp lemon, and they thought I was nuts. I had to educate the extension agent about it.

This area where I searched was very swampy and The west side of the creek I was standing on was actually an island with cypress swamp to the west. After driving around Columbus county today and in the past, I've noticed that this area is largely swamp land and as many know, eastern NC is known for occasional catastrophic flooding. I wonder if maybe these wild poncirus trees may have died out from flood damage.

Well guys, the fantasy is over! I went to the Livingston creek in Delco, NC and tromped around on the west side of the creek and alas! Didn't see no swamp lemon tree, no Sasquatch, and not even a unicorn!  I've called around all the local nurseries and no one knows what I'm talking about and only one nurseryman in Wilmington has flying dragon and Meyer lemon. I've been to Purple Pepper nursery in Delco, which is a rocks throw from the creek, last year and they had no citrus. They're closed January and February but I stopped and looked through fence and saw no trifoliate or citrus. Left a message though. Actually, I got my three trifoliata trees from Sandy Mush nursery in Sandy Mush in western NC, and the owner told me she got hers from local person who makes marmalade out of hers, and the fruit I've tasted from my tree isn't horrible and actually has a lilac kind of flowery taste. So , since I can't find a special swamp lemon, I'll be content with my special mountain orange!!! I'm going back home now.

I am currently en route, embarking on an exciting adventure, to Delco, NC in search of the elusive and highly sough-after Swamp Lemon! I'll let y'all know if I find some. Hope to find some seed-filled fruits in a ditch off of hwy 74, or maybe a local nursery will be open tomorrow and have a lovely assortment of potted specimens to choose from at a very low price! Got it all figured out.

Try looking up "Ponds and Plants" in Dayton, TN. Also try "Chilly Palm Tree" in Charlotte, NC (704-527-8478). I think I tried ponds and plants years ago and wasn't successful. Haven't called chilly palm yet.

I've asked growers at southeast citrus expo to graft trifoliate hybrids and Ichang hybrids on dragon so those of us in colder zones can have something better than straight trifoliata, but I just get blank stares or they tell me to graft my own; they don't think about the fact that we don't have access to dragon rootstock nor are my seedling citranges old enough to produce fruiting wood yet. I've got probably ten seedling trees from woodlanders several years ago; they come in gallon pots about 1-2 ft tall. They have all grown well, doubling in size in a season. Trifoliate hybrids do experience winter die back here, losing newer wood that is not at least pencil thick, and sometimes dying back almost to or to the ground. If you have s bad freeze, down to zero or a late spring freeze in the mid teens after new growth starts, you may lose your graft and be left with dragon if not protected. You can ask Stan McKenzie of McKenzie Farms out of Scranton, SC to graft you a Dunstan citrumelo on dragon. Actually, the last time I asked him for Ichang lemon on dragon or Changsha on dragon, I think he said he had some Thomasville citrangequat on dragon. In 7b you may be able to succeed with a Thomasville. My Thomasville seedling came back from roots after polar vortex killed all my other citranges including Swingle citrumelo dead.

Well, my Dunstan citrumelo trees have performed pretty well here in zone 6b for the past three years with no protection.

So it's a citrumelo variety?  What's it called?

I grew up in FL and always wanted to grow apples, peaches, pears, cherry. Citrus was boring. I thought about putting up greenhouse around an apple tree in winter and turning it into a freezer. That takes too much electricity, so I moved to NC, and now I can grow everything but citrus; oops, I found out I can throw plastic over short grafted citrus trees and stick small space heaters in with them. I think it's easy to heat something in winter just enough to keep it alive than to have to freeze something throughout winter in a tropical climate.

Good to know. Thanks, Millet.