Thursday, October 20, 2016

Oranges! The Poncirus trifoliata delivers...


For months now I've been watching the fruit on my Poncirus trifoliata and wondering when it would ever turn from green to yellow/and/or/orange. It finally did, at the same time the leaves changed color.

Sadly the leaves didn't stick around very long this year, darn wind...

Just as well, the tiny oranges made for a great display without the leaves to detract.

However since last weekend's forecast called for above average wind, I decided to remove any fruit that fell easily into my hand when touched. I didn't want to lose them, or have them turn into golf-ball like weapons. I left the few that were still firmly attached, cause I love looking out and seeing them on the tree.

Thankfully the wind let them be, and also didn't strip the neighbor's Sumac, which is coloring up oh so very nicely.

The other neighbor's Cornus (Dogwood) wasn't so lucky, it's almost bare. Most of their leaves (as usual) ended up in my front garden. At least one of them displayed a sense of the dramatic in landing, speared by a Yucca rostrata blade...

So back to the oranges. I'd read they were bitter, but edible. Naturally I had to taste them for myself.

Notice the mess on the knife? According to the website "Eat the Weeds" processing the fruit leaves a "hard-to-wash off resin on utensils"... I can attest that when you bite into the fruit that same thing happens to your teeth.

The taste wasn't all together bad. In fact I squeezed the rest into my sparkling water and enjoyed it ("Eat the Weeds" says a slice is good in a gin-and-tonic, but I am no fan of gin). Other uses for the fruit include a "not-sweet" marmalade and the rind can be candied and dried. I've chosen to go the decorative route...

They smell good and I love looking at them and knowing they grew just outside my front door.

All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

17 comments:

  1. Looks like the fruit is very seedy too. Did you save them? I wonder how easy they are to grow from seed.

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    1. I did not save them, but I would be happy to save some for you, if you'd like - just let me know.

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  2. That's very, very cool! Thanks for being a food-taster for everyone. I'm no fan of gin either, but I bet it would be good in gin and tonic for those that are fans. I've had Flying Dragon on my list for a long time and bought it last spring. It never started to go dormant last year and froze to the ground, and then every new shoot that came up was eaten by slugs for most of this spring....Now it's gotten a little bit of size and seems to know what season it is....Here's hoping for a shrub like yours some day!

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    1. I can't get the image of a slug, speared on one of those thorns, who is still munching away, out of my mind...ugh!

      I've got a 'Flying Dragon' too, it seems determined to stay under a foot and half tall. Perhaps I should move it. This one had some unfortunate pruning done to it when it was small (by the nursery) but it doesn't seem to be holding it back. Here's hoping it does not reach its potential 29 ft tall!

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  3. They ripened! Personally, I rather like their taste, but when I tried them they were very ripe and I think had even experienced a light frost. They were definitely orange, some taking on brownish speckles from weather exposure. I avoided the rind completely, as I had read about the bitter resin glands. But I did find them a bit slimy. They do make great decorations, though. Love that smell!

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    1. Interesting. I'm glad I left several on the plant so I can sample them later. Since this is the first year I've had fruit develop it's all a big experiment.

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  4. Citrus, bromeliad, and leucadendrons...You already live in sunny California (at least inside your house.) It's wet and pretty dark here.

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    1. Like a strange mullet. PNW in the front and back, California in the middle.

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  5. The naked plant has a beautiful structure. This is yet another plant I never see here. I wonder if there are issues with the orange growing industry?

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    1. I wonder if you aren't just a touch beyond it's hardiness zone?

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  6. What coincidence! I saw Poncirus trifoliata in one of the gardens that were part of the 2016 Pacific Horticulture Summit. I had no idea what it was, but now I do thanks to your post today. In terms of taste, what you describe sounds a lot like calamondins, Rangpur limes and similar citrus varieties.

    Loved the cornus leaf in your Yucca rostrata!

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    1. It's such a cool plant...glad to help with the ID!

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  7. What a interesting plant! I love the bright yellow of the fruit! They look great in the bowl with your other cuttings!

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  8. Awesome. I'd never heard of this plant. Does it taste like lemon or orange or something else? Is the scent like lemons, too? That photo of your neighbor's Sumac in the background with all your nifty plants in the foreground is a treat! And the fruits work well in your arrangement!

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    1. Kind of a cross between the two, actually. And I feel so lucky to see that neighbor's Sumac right outside my front door!

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  9. I'm reading this a few years after it was posted.
    Someone asked about growing from seed. Seed must be kept moist and chilled for 6 to 8 weeks (I've done it for 8 weeks, to be on the safe side.) Easiest is to place one or more ripe fruits in a baggie in the refrigerator. The fruit will get moldy and mushy; so using rubber gloves to remove the seeds is a good idea. I've also removed the seeds and chilled them in a baggie with a wet paper towel, but the paper towel and seeds get moldy. After chilling, sow and keep dark. Germinates in 5 to 7 days, high germination rate.
    As to taste, I just tried the juice, the fruits I tried had very little juice, maybe a teaspoon per fruit, sour and citrusy but without the aroma of a lemon or orange. The plant is hardy here (MD/VA) USDA zone 7.

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