Citrus > Cold Hardy Citrus

First fruits of Citrangeremo

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Till:
Sometimes patience is needed. I once bought Citrangeremo, grafted on Swingle Citrumelo, from Zdenek's old shop. It is now well over ten years ago. The first bloom and the first fruits were this year.
The plant was a vigorious grower from the beginning. It first stood in a sunny greenhouse. But that was probably also the reason, why it was serverly frostbidden some few degrees below freezing. But it soon recovered.

Out of some bureaucracy issues, I had to move my greenhouse or I shall better say rebuild it at a place under a huge poplar tree were it had shadow from about 14:30 o'clock to about 17:30 o'clock. Not ideal indeed but also not so bad as expected. It was save from too hot temperatures and most citrus trees (Citrumelos, Poncirus, Keraji etc.) grew well there.
The Citrangeremo in special had originally an acceptable amount of sun but was then more and more overgrown by Swingle5Star seedlings on the right hand and African Shadock x Poncirus on the left hand. It found its way into the light nonetheless but had certainly not enough sun.
Now this is its place and condition:








As you see the greater part of the plant is overgrown by the trees from the right and left.

Here is a view into the greenhouse from the front:



You see it is pretty full. But what you see here is already the greenhouse update from this year. The original greenhouse was only half as high so that the bigger plants were pressed together under the roof. You still see it when you look at the citrumelo with the yellow fruits (Swingle 5 Star mutation by the way). Rebuilding the greenhouse was a lot of work and I did not finish the roof until mid of November this year.
I say that in order to help you assessing what I am going to write about the fruit quality of Citrangeremo. I will speak about fruits from a plant that did not grow under the best conditions, that stood in a greenhouse but was from July on exposed to our rainy and cool summer, not protected by a roof. The leaves are also a bit too yellow and growth was not the best this year (reason unclear).

Patience... Having said all that you have also needed patience. My first bloom was this year. And this year, I also got the first fruits (after well over ten years).

The fruits. First some pictures:









You see the fruits are very small, 1,5 cm at most. And they may be not totally ripe. There is still a whiff of green on some fruits.
I come to the interior qualities.
The peel is extremly thin, 1mm at most, perhaps even less. It has almost no white part, yet fruits can be easily peeled. The peel is full of oil glands that are relatively big when compared to the thin peel. The peel has no Poncirus off-flavours but tastes bitter. It reminds me a bit of Calamondin peel but is more bitter.
The pulp consists of more or less round orange juice sacks. They are quite firm but juicy. They have no tendency to plopp out of the fruit as do the round juicy sacks of Fingerlimes. They stay where they are. They even stay at their place, when you peel a fruits that has already been cut into to halves.
The pulp is mildly sour with an orange taste. It tastes quite similar to Calamondin but goes more into the direction of orange taste than to mandarine taste although both flavours are present. The fruits are pretty aromatic but I have the impression that Calamondin has more taste. The pulp is NOT bitter and has no Poncirus aromata.
Segment walls are no hindrance for enjoying the fruits but are well developed.
Generative aspects: Citrangeremo had only well developed flowers with pistil and stamen but it did not produce pollen. The stamen remained closed and it also did not help to dry up the stamen and grind them. There did not appear any yellow or dusty substance. I pollinated every flower of my Citrangeremo with fresh pollen of Staraji and partly also with fresh Poncirus pollen. But I have so far not found a single seed, not even an underdevelped one. I have not checked all fruits yet but have  open enough of them to conclude that Citrangeremo is likely to be a very difficult elder for breeding.

My overall evaluation: Is Citrangeremo is great variety for eating or breeding?
Hmm, the pulp is tasty but the bitter peel is really a detriment.  Ok, it can easily be peeled. But who wants to peel such small fruits? I am willing to believe that Citrangeremo bears better fruits under better growing conditions. Maybe much better fruits. But will not the peel remain bitter?
Another disappointment for me is that the fruits are not really early ripening. We have now Dec. the 8th and they are not fully ripe. Ok, my climate is a challange and Citrangeremo was not amoung the early blooming varieties. It started blooming a bit later than Staraji but overlapped with its blooming period. Poncirus is much earlier, Citrumelos also earlier. Late bloom can be an advantage where late frost is to be feared. But look the small fruits of citrangeremo and now Swingle 5 Star (Mutation) with its much bigger fruits. The latter ones are now also almost ripe. See here:


The Citrumelo fruits have suffered from the same weather but have a taste that is quite ok for Citrumelos. Citrumelos are so much more productive.
Ok, Citrangeremo is not really late ripening but seems to be not early either. Who wants to breed early varieties shall not be deterred knowing that Citrangeremo is half E. glauca and E. glauca is early. A breeder should not look at the phaenotype but at the genotype. Yet, how can you breed with something that does not produce pollen and seeds?

My overall judgement is: Citrangeremo is an interesting curiosity and it is not bad. But it is not as great as it is rare. Buy something else for fruits and breeding.

I am looking forward to the next years and to the experience of other. If you ever had Citrangeremo fruits, please post your comments! When I get fruits again next year I will inform you.

Florian:
I have not had fruits (not even flowers) and your report just might be the final nail in the coffin for it. While it has been coldhardy, I don't have space to waste for something mediocre.

BorisR:
Till, thanks for the information.

Newbgrower:
Insane, did you not also own a ichang x sinensis? How is that doing?

Till:
I have a C. ichangensis x C. sinensis tree that is now about 2m high. It stood in a position too shadowy and is now potted again. The problem is that it is the variety about which all say that it is probably no hybrid at all but just an early orange.
I have though crossed my C. ichangensis with Chandler, Amoa8 and Sucrena and hope for better hybrids than the one true hybrid with sweet orange that I know of.
When, however, somebody would send me budwood of the true C. ichangensis x C. sinensis I would gladly receive it.  :)

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