Amalfitan Rangpur?

[alexmed95]

Back in February when I found my first small Amalfi lemon at the specialty market,  I also got my hands on a beautiful Citron from Amalfi (variety unknown, but let me know if you know it). The scent was magnificent, close to Amalfi lemons.

Anyway, fast forward to now, I grew some of its seeds. They are quite slow growers compared to the small Amalfi lemons, and the big Sfusato Amalfitano I grew (see updates in my other posts). The seedling also has a weird way of growing where a bunch of buds grew in packs on the tip after the first two leaves appeared, but they stagnated for a couple of months.

After the real pair of leaves grew, I discovered that this Citron was possibly cross-pollinated by a Mandarin (see the leaves' shape of the seedlings). Two of them have very similar leaves' shape to Mandarin. I crushed the leaves of all of them but wasn't able to distinguish a particular scent. I guess the seedlings need to grow bigger to get the reel scent.

Knowing that the Rangpur Lime is a cross between a Citron and a Mandarin, we might get a new Rangpur variety from Italian parents! TBD


The original fruit







All seedlings


One of the seedlings with mandarin-like leaves

[pagnr]

The seedlings look pretty good. The odd one looks pretty interesting. Also looks bit lime like to me. It could depend on if the Amalfi Citron is a 'pure Citron' or a Hybrid. It is possible to get unusual seedlings from genetic re shuffles, without X pollination. ( recombination ). Citrons do not normally produce foliage variants, but I did get slight fruit shape + size variants from seedlings. Lemons seedlings are often slight foliage variants. Can't quite see, but does the odd seedling have red growth tips like other Citrons. ?

[alexmed95]

Hey,

None of the seedlings have reddish/purple growth. All new growth is green (as seen in the latest pictures). I've attached the picture of the Mandarin-like seedling I'm growing separately. You can also see that other seedlings have quite interesting leaf' shape.

Hopefully, they will survive till maturity. I've read that Citrons are quite fast to fruit (<4 years). I hope some of them will get that genetic.

The most Mandarin-like seedling



The other seedlings

[pagnr]

I am wondering if there are other hybrids in there too ? Pic 1 has a small leaf type in the bottom rh corner ? I am not seeing exact Citron seedlings in the pics, a lot look slightly different. How do they compare to this ?

[sc4001992]

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[alexmed95]

I am wondering if there are other hybrids in there too ? Pic 1 has a small leaf type in the bottom rh corner ? I am not seeing exact Citron seedlings in the pics, a lot look slightly different. How do they compare to this ?

Well, If the Citron was cross-pollinated by a Mandarin, knowing that Citrons are always mono embryonic, all seedlings should be hybrids (Citron X Mandarin). I was trying to select the most promising based on the leaf shape, and scent (still too early). Citrons have rounded leaves while all my seedlings have more pointed leaves closer to what mandarins or clementines have.

[alexmed95]

I can take some photos of the Amalfi Sfusato lemon leaves for you. It looks different from your seedlings.

The 'mother fruit' is an Amalfitan Citron (not lemon) so the leaves should be rounded. I also planted some Sfusato Amalfitano Lemon seeds a couple of months back from a fruit I got my hands on. I selected the polyembyonic seedlings and grew them. Below is a picture of the two seedlings. I think the leaves' shapes should match that of its parent. Let me know.

Sfusato Seedlings

[sc4001992]

ok, I don't have the citron variety, only the lemon.

Your seedling of the lemon has the similar shape and size, but not really the same edges. I'll try to take some photos this week and post it for you.

[pagnr]

How do your seedlings and the original fruit compare to this Amalfi Citron from Italy ?
https://agrumilenzi.it/en/negozio/citrusen/citrons/amalfi-citron-citrus-medica/

The leaves of your seedlings look closer to this than Citron leaves ??

Also, the seed in the fruit you uploaded don't really look like Citron seed to me. They seem rather big, more like Sour Orange seed ?

Thinking that the Amalfi Citron is possibly a Citron / Sour Orange hybrid ?

[Ilya11]

Alexmed95,
Sorry to intervene here, but since your are in Québec, you are aware that in French citron means a lemon. Are you sure that what you bought is not just an Amalfi cost lemon?

[alexmed95]

How do your seedlings and the original fruit compare to this Amalfi Citron from Italy ?
https://agrumilenzi.it/en/negozio/citrusen/citrons/amalfi-citron-citrus-medica/

The leaves of your seedlings look closer to this than Citron leaves ??

Also, the seed in the fruit you uploaded don't really look like Citron seed to me. They seem rather big, more like Sour Orange seed ?

Thinking that the Amalfi Citron is possibly a Citron / Sour Orange hybrid ?

The fruit does look like this Amalfi Citron from Agrumi Lenzi. As for the leaves' shape, they are closer to my seedlings than those of common citrus medica (rounded leaves just like your tree). It could be yes. If you look at the picture of all the seedlings in the pot, you can see that the one in the middle has a rather intriguing leaf shape: long and straight-winged petiole, which is uncommon to see, I think. 

Here is a closer look at this weird seedling:





Here is another seedling (one of two) I potted apart from others due to the Mandarine/Clementine-shaped leaves:
 

[alexmed95]

Alexmed95,
Sorry to intervene here, but since your are in Québec, you are aware that in French citron means a lemon. Are you sure that what you bought is not just an Amalfi cost lemon?

Ilya,

Yes, I am sure since the label said "Cédrat de la Côte d'Amalfi" for this fruit. I also bought (later) both the small Amalfi Lemon (probably Sorrento) and the large Sfusato. I am growing all three varieties from seed. Of course, I know that the Citron won't be a clone of the mother tree, but now It seems that I might have interesting hybrid seedlings. I wasn't able to have poly seeds from the Sorrento, but was able to have a couple of poly seeds from the Sfusato.

[Ilya11]

In Italy, at least listed in the nurseries grows also so called CitrusXlimonimedica that is believed to be a cross between citron and lemon