Author Topic: Murcott(honey), W.Murcott(Honey), Ca Honey Mandarin(Honey)  (Read 5101 times)

ClayMango

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I was hoping some forum members might be able to clear some of the confusion going around these 3 varieites. All 3 Mandarins have their own given name, yet I beleive many people confuse these 3 trees because they're simply labeled Honey at many places...whether its just the individual fruit from your local produce section or an actual grafted tree from the nursery...

Many trees from Durlings are labeled Honey, so I had to call the nursery to see if they could clarify what honey it is...That's when I found out they only grow the W. Murcott. The Honey Mandarin I have been buying at Sprouts....which I believed to be the CA Honey at first(Guessing)... Was most likely the Florida Murcott considering it at a Florida Citrus Tag on it.

So I'm just wondering if anyway could give an opinion on all 3 of these varieties? There isnt much to go on from related post that I've found on the web.....except more confusion related post of people not  knowing the difference of the 3 Honeys...or that there were even 3 honeys to begin with.

I've already bought a 1 year old CA Honey from 4 winds...Just hoping it was the better choice of the 3 considering it seems I may have fell in love with a Florida Murcott and not the CA Honey after all.
« Last Edit: May 08, 2014, 09:42:36 PM by ClayMango »
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Millet

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Re: Murcott(honey), W.Murcott(Honey), Ca Honey Mandarin(Honey)
« Reply #1 on: May 08, 2014, 09:11:24 PM »
The W. Murcott (Afouer) originated as a chance seedling from a Murcott tree, thus it is a chance hybrid of a Murcott and a unknown pollen parent.

Murcott and the Florida Honey are one and the same fruit.  Murcott is commonly Called Murcott honey because the commercial name of Murcott was changed in Florida to Honey a number of years ago, so as to distinguish it from a California mandarin called Honey (CA Honey). .

The CA Honey is an early ripening seedy fruit.  It is a hybrid of the King Mandarin x Willow leaf mandarin.  The CA Honey was first found in Riverside California. - Millet
« Last Edit: May 09, 2014, 03:52:11 PM by Millet »

ClayMango

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Re: Murcott(honey), W.Murcott(Honey), Ca Honey Mandarin(Honey)
« Reply #2 on: May 08, 2014, 09:41:01 PM »
The W. Murcott (Afouer) originated as a chance seedling from a Murcott tree, thus it is a chance hybrid of a Murcott and a unknown pollen parent.

Murcott and the Florida Honey are one and the same fruit.  Murcott is commonly Called Murcott honey because the commercial name of Murcott was changed in Florida to Honey a number of years ago, so as to distinguish it from a California mandarin called Honey (CA Honey). .

The CA Honey is an early ripening seedy mandarin.  It is a hybrid of the King Mandarin x Willow leaf mandarin.  The CA Honey was first found in Riverside California. - Millet

Millet...By "First Round" ...do  you mean "Head of Class", "Top Tier", one of the best flavored sweet mandarin?

 I honestly don't mind seedy fruit as long as its good....My favorite fruit Cherimoya as an example.
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Tom

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Re: Murcott(honey), W.Murcott(Honey), Ca Honey Mandarin(Honey)
« Reply #3 on: May 08, 2014, 11:05:44 PM »
First Found. Found in the first place. Not round. Excuse me for jumping in. Tom

ClayMango

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Re: Murcott(honey), W.Murcott(Honey), Ca Honey Mandarin(Honey)
« Reply #4 on: May 09, 2014, 08:00:49 AM »
First Found. Found in the first place. Not round. Excuse me for jumping in. Tom


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bsbullie

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Re: Murcott(honey), W.Murcott(Honey), Ca Honey Mandarin(Honey)
« Reply #5 on: May 09, 2014, 11:52:02 AM »
Hmmm...in Florida, what is sold as the Murcott or Honey Murcott is almost alwys from what I have seen called a tangerine (yes, I know that the term tangerine and mandarin can often be abused and misused).  According to UF, see link below, it is a tangor or a cross between a tangerine (possibly a mandarin) and a sweet orange.  Does this in realty enable it to be classified as a mandarin?

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ch078
- Rob

Millet

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Re: Murcott(honey), W.Murcott(Honey), Ca Honey Mandarin(Honey)
« Reply #6 on: May 09, 2014, 04:20:00 PM »
bsBullie, no if a fruit is classified as a tangor than it cannot be classified as a mandarin.  Actually, the word Tangerine has no  official standing at all.  The official word of description is mandarin.  The word Tangerine came into common  popular usage because the fruit originally came into the USA from Tanagers. In reality no one really know the parentage of the Florida Honey.  I have seen different text give what they think the parents might be.  I would give your UF listing as a highly respected possible parentage. - Millet

Mike T

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Re: Murcott(honey), W.Murcott(Honey), Ca Honey Mandarin(Honey)
« Reply #7 on: May 09, 2014, 05:59:04 PM »
Isn't the word Tangerine a corruption of orange of Tangiers? Mandarins originally imported to Florida from Tangiers had a name change due to marketing or shortening all those decades ago. If an American tangerine were to come here it would transform into a mandarin because no one would be sure what a tangerine really is.

I have a honey murcott and that is the only name they go by here even in supermarkets. Occasionally it is shortened to murcottt. Aren't they really a tangor and not a mandarin?