Gardening : Grow Your Own Exotic Citrus Fruit

Home orchardists in the Southland nowadays aren’t limited in their citrus choices to the more mundane--orange, lemon, grapefruit and lime trees, etc. There’s an esoteric new world of citrus trees available to the adventuresome gardener.

John Pehrson, a recently retired citrus specialist at the UC Lindcove Field Station, described some of the more exotic members of the citrus family that are now finding their way into local nurseries.

Here are some of Pehrson’s favorites:

--Blood Orange: Although only a few years ago the blood orange was virtually unknown to Southland gardeners, the trees have recently become hot-selling items in local nurseries. The blood orange is so-named because of the color of its flesh and juice, which ranges from red orange to deep burgundy. The rind color is orange, overlaid with splashes of deep red.

Three varieties of blood orange trees are available: Moro, Tarocco and Sanguinelli. Pehrson says the Moro is probably the best-suited to the wide range of Southern California citrus climates.

--Limequat: This is a cross between a lime and a kumquat. It is a small, highly ornamental tree that makes a beautiful addition to any landscape. The fruit are smaller than the typical lime, but they have the lime aroma and flavor. Pehrson says the trees are good for growing in large containers. He notes that Eustis is the best variety.

--Oroblanco grapefruit: Not a true grapefruit, but a cross between a pummelo and a grapefruit. According to Pehrson, Oroblanco is the sweetest grapefruit available, and has none of the bitterness and astringent aftertaste of a typical grapefruit. The trees perform much better than other grapefruit trees in our milder climatic zones.

--Kaffir Lime: Not a lime at all, but an unusual citrus tree that is grown for its leaves rather than its fruit; the fruit is never eaten. Also called by its true name, Citrus hystrix, its foliage is used for flavoring Oriental cuisine. It is often the “sour” in “sweet and sour” dishes. The foliage is expensive in Oriental markets; it imparts a strong citrus flavor and aroma to foods.

--Page Mandarin: This is one of Pehrson’s favorite eating citrus fruits. The small red-orange fruit have a sweet, rich flavor. Pehrson says that in taste tests at the field station where he worked, the Page mandarin always rated at or near top. Actually, the Page mandarin is a cross between a mandarin and a tangelo. The tree needs another citrus tree, such as a Valencia orange, planted nearby for proper pollination.

--Tangor: This is a hybrid between an orange and a mandarin. Pehrson says its eating quality is close to the navel orange. Temple is the most common Tangor variety and it is widely grown in Florida and sold under the name “temple orange.” Pehrson says the trees should be grown only in the hot lower desert areas as they need much heat to bring out the rich flavor of the fruit.

--Pummelo: Sometimes known as a Chinese grapefruit, it is the tree that the modern grapefruit tree evolved from. The tree produces huge fruit; often weighing two or more pounds. Pehrson says the fruit is utilized in traditional Oriental ceremonies revolving around the Chinese New Year celebration.

--Citron: This ancient citrus tree is the precursor of the modern lemon and lime tree. It is used mostly for ornamental purposes, for the intense citrus aroma of its fruit and the rind is often candied and used for fruit cake products. There are two primary varieties: Etrog citron resembles a fat lemon and has a strong fragrance that will permeate a room. The second variety, Buddha’s Hand citron is quite a novelty because it produces fruit shaped like a hand with finger-shaped appendages.

Tomilinson’s Nursery in Whittier often stocks rare citrus trees. It is located at 11758 E. Whittier Blvd., Whittier; phone (213) 698-5778.