Blood Clementine

Origin

The Blood Clementine is an extremely rare modern hybrid from a cross between a classic Clementine (Citrus clementina) and the Moro blood orange (Citrus sinensis 'Moro'), one of the most heavily pigmented Italian red oranges in the world. This new combination aims to transfer to the clementine, the small dessert citrus par excellence, the spectacular red-purple to black coloring of the Moro's flesh, a genetic trait controlled by the accumulation of anthocyanins triggered by day-night temperature swings late in ripening. The result is a one-of-a-kind variety, as rare in European catalogs as it is visually striking: small mandarins whose skin changes from medium orange to bright red, enclosing a pulp that runs from deep red to nearly black at full maturity. Sold by the Pépinière du Bosc as a pomological collector's item, this variety is one of the most ornamental citrus available in France, combining the easy eating of a clementine with the visual drama of a blood orange.

Tree description

The tree forms a medium-sized, very productive specimen, reaching 10 to 13 ft (3 to 4 m) at maturity, with a balanced rounded habit and rich green evergreen foliage. Its growth is moderate but steady, and the tree bears generously from its fourth year on FA5 or Poncirus trifoliata rootstock. The abundant fragrant white bloom comes in spring. Its hardiness, documented from 16 to 10°F (−9 to −12°C) depending on the situation and the rootstock, places it in the range of the most cold-hardy clementine trees, suited to zone 8a.

Fruit quality

The fruits, small as is classic for the clementine, have thin, easily detached skin that turns from medium orange to deep red when cold nights trigger the accumulation of anthocyanins. The flesh, spectacularly colored, from dark red to garnet black, is tender and juicy, seedless when grown in isolation, and offers a particularly sweet flavor, almost free of acidity, evoking blackberry and raspberry thanks to the pigments of the Moro parent. It is one of the darkest flesh colors ever observed in the citrus world.

Flavor and ornamental interest

The Blood Clementine is above all a fruit for effect: eaten fresh, it consistently surprises with the color of its flesh, adding an unforgettable visual spectacle to desserts, fruit salads, cocktails and sophisticated pastries. Its naturally dark red juice creates striking decorative effects in preparations and provides an exceptional concentration of anthocyanin antioxidants with recognized nutritional benefits. As an ornamental, the combination of small stature, fragrant bloom and above all red to black fruits hanging in winter against evergreen foliage creates a unique landscape effect, particularly suited to a small collector's garden or a refined terrace.