Fortune Mandarin

Origin

The Fortune mandarin is a modern American hybrid developed in 1964 at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), the result of a cross between the Clementine (Citrus clementina) of Mediterranean origin and the Dancy mandarin (Citrus reticulata 'Dancy'), a historic American variety known for its deep color and productivity. The goal of the breeding program was to combine the taste quality and early ripening of the clementine with the Dancy's ability to hang on the tree and its productivity, while obtaining a late-maturing variety to extend the commercial season of California mandarins into spring. The result is remarkable: the Fortune ripens from March to May, even into summer, offering mandarins when most varieties have already finished their cycle. Its name, which literally means "luck" or "fortune," evokes the providential character of this variety, which extends access to fresh mandarins well beyond winter. Sold in France notably by the Pépinière du Bosc, it is a valuable diversification variety for anyone who wants to spread the citrus harvest over the whole year.

Tree description

The tree forms a vigorous, widely spreading specimen 10 to 13 ft (3 to 4 m) tall at maturity, with a generous habit forming a dense dome and medium green evergreen foliage. Its particularly full canopy provides natural protection for the ripening fruit, allowing it to hang for a long time without deterioration. Growth is fast and steady, and the tree is very productive from its fourth year on C4475 citrumelo rootstock. Its hardiness reaches 14°F (−10°C) for a well-acclimated adult tree, placing it in the upper average of mandarin trees that can be grown in zone 8a.

Fruit quality

The fruits, medium to large, have thin, easy-to-peel skin, a trait of the clementine parent, bright to deep orange at maturity. The flesh, firm and extremely juicy, offers a complex flavor, well balanced between the fine sweetness of the clementine and the deep aromatic dimension of the Dancy, seedless when grown in isolation. Ripening is remarkably spread out from March to May, and the fruits can be picked in stages over the weeks.

Flavor and ornamental interest

The Fortune mandarin fills a valuable gap in the calendar by offering fresh mandarins in spring, when classic European citrus production is over. Complementary to the Encore mandarin recently published (#367, harvested May to July), it makes it possible to build a pair of mandarin trees covering the whole end of the season, from March to July, a real calendar feat for an amateur orchard. As an ornamental, its dense canopy, its spring bloom coinciding with late fruiting, and the long duration of its production make it an original landscape specimen, able to carry flowers and fruit on the same branch for a rare and spectacular visual effect.