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Topics - Melenduwir

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I was aware that Clementines are zygotic, and plentiful at certain times of the year, so I intend to extract seeds from grocery-purchased fruits when winter comes again.  But Clementines are known to have a certain amount of pomelo admixture, and most of the 'pure' species mandarins are mostly or entirely nucellar.

Then I learned that Kishu mandarins entirely zygotic, and I became very excited!

Then I discovered that every strain of Kishu that had crossed the Pacific from Japan that I could locate was an entirely seedless strain, probably genetically damaged.  So, as tasty as they may be, they're useless for my purposes.

Does anyone know where I could acquire seeds or budwood for the traditional Japanese strains of Kishu?  I understand that the Japanese prefer citrus with seeds as a symbol of fertility and vitality.

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Cold Hardy Citrus / Monoembryonic Hardy Orange?
« on: April 20, 2022, 05:48:47 PM »
It seems to have existed once.  UCR link, but according to the page it's no longer available.

Any ideas where I might find this, other than trying to locate a Japanese source and getting the government to permit its importation?

How frequently do the common varieties of Poncirus Trifoliata have monoembryonic, zygotic seeds?

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Fruit Trenches:  Cultivating Subtropical Plants in Freezing Temperatures

Despite what the title might imply, the article discusses several different ways of growing citrus trees in frosty areas.  Some of them sound as though they'd be entirely within the reach of hobbyists - I admit the trenches themselves are probably too much for a backyard grower.  I was particularly interested by the techniques of 'creeping trees'.

Ever tried any of these methods?

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I recently ordered one from Woodlanders, it arrived yesterday, and I've found myself a bit skeptical.



Here's a closer view of the older leaves, which are rounded instead of lanceolate:



A close-up of the newer leaves, whose petioles are noticeably smaller than the actual leaf:



The images I've found on the Internet of C. cavalereri, and of related plants like the Makrut Lime, suggest that the petioles should be roughly the same size and shape of the actual leaf.  I know this is a young plant, but is it possible that this is a hybrid?   With, perhaps, a lemon?

I don't necessarily mind, if this plant produces zygotic seeds, but the implications for cold-hardiness are vital.

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I thought it would be interesting to try making bonsai - or at least dwarfed potted trees - at home, so I gathered seeds from local trees and from purchased fruit, and set about trying to sprout them.  I'd never had much luck growing citrus of any kind, but I had visited a different grocery and purchased some organic key limes and miniature pink lemons, and to my surprise and excitement I had a very good response, to the point that I had to give away some of the seedlings.

I kept four key lime seedlings, and after a year (warm season outside, cold indoors in a sunny window) three are between 8" and 11" tall.  The fourth, though, grew so rapidly that I had to move it out of the fast food soft drink cup I'd started it in and into a multigallon pot.  It's now roughly two and a half feet fall, and unlike the others hasn't branched.  Lately I've noticed signs that a new branch is budding near the top.

I did a little research and learned a lot about citrus genetics (special thanks to citruspages.free.fr, your site is great!) and was disappointed and intrigued to learn about polyembryony and nucellar citrus.  So all my key limes are clones of the original plant, and probably can't be crossed with most other citrus types available to me, oh well.  But that fourth...

I know for a fact it came from the same key limes as the others, and its leaves are similar enough that I'm sure it's the same species.  But its behavior... they all ought to be more or less identical, right?  How can I tell if I have a mutant or polyploidic version of the key lime?  And if this plant really is genetically different, what are the chances that it might be worth keeping?  (Not in a monetary sense, but as an interested gardener.)

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I've done a little research on nucellar reproduction in citrus, and I understand that it's associated with several different groups of genes.  It seems that there's no single collection of genes responsible.

I've also encountered some lists of types of citrus that have monoembryonic seeds, including specific cultivars or varieties of some species that vary on this trait.  And some of them (I'd have to go back and doublecheck, but I distinctly recall noticing several) are the result of crossing two or more citrus types that are characteristically polyembryonic and nucellar.

I can easily understand that crossing a true-breeding nucellar plant with a sexually-breeding one might or might not result in a plant that clones itself.  Given the right combinations of genes, I can even understand how two sexually-breeding plants could result in an apomictic one.

*edited to change treat to trait
But how in the world can a forced cross between two highly nucellar types of citrus result in a plant that breeds normally?

I'm particularly interested because I want to try making new citrus varieties from dwarfed, potted plants at home, and the most cold-hardy citruses I can locate are all true-breeding nucellar types.

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