Hardy Citrus Atlas

Juice

Three pale yellow citrus fruit on a kitchen counter

Five Star Citrumelo

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Five Star citrumelo (× Citroncirus ‘Five Star’) is a more recent Floridian selection of the citrumelo, a grapefruit × Poncirus trifoliata hybrid. Its tree hardiness reaches 5°F (−15°C), among the hardiest edible citrus, making it viable in the ground in USDA zone 7b. The compact tree reaches 8 to 13 ft (2.5 to 4 m) with a rounded, thorny habit, semi-evergreen foliage, and white spring flowers. Its fruit resemble a yellow grapefruit, 7.1 to 12.3 oz (200 to 350 g) with smooth skin, ripen in winter and give a juice that is milder and more pleasant than that of the Dunstan citrumelo, with a moderate residual bitterness. Very productive. Excellent in blended juice, marmalade, or confectionery. One of the best choices for producing a table citrus in USDA zones 7-8. Graft onto Poncirus trifoliata, plant against a south-southwest-facing wall; well-drained soil is imperative.

Half a pink-fleshed citrus fruit beside a knife and spoon

Star Ruby Grapefruit

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Origin: Star Ruby grapefruit is a red-fleshed grapefruit cultivar developed in the United States in the 1970s at the Texas […]

A partially peeled orange citrus fruit beside a whole fruit

Salustiana Orange

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Salustiana orange (Citrus sinensis ‘Salustiana’) is a Spanish mutation of the Comuna orange, selected in Valencia for its juiciness and its complete absence of seeds. Its tree hardiness reaches 16°F (−9°C), making it suitable for in-ground growing in USDA zones 8b and 9a. The vigorous tree reaches 10 to 16 ft (3 to 5 m) with a spreading, rounded habit, glossy evergreen foliage, and fragrant white flowers. Its bright orange fruit, medium-sized at about 5.3 to 6.3 oz (150 to 180 g) according to catalogs, varying with conditions, without a navel, with thin skin that is moderately easy to peel, seedless, ripen in winter (January-March) with very juicy, sweet, low-acid flesh, perfect for juice. Considered one of the best juice oranges in the world, the basis of the Spanish orange juice industry. Excellent fresh too. Graft onto Poncirus trifoliata, plant against a south-facing wall, well-drained soil.

Green-yellow citrus fruit with retail labels

Melogold Grapefruit

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Origin: Melogold is a grapefruit and pummelo hybrid created in 1986 by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, as […]

Orange citrus fruit on leafy branches

Washington Navel Orange

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Washington Navel orange (Citrus sinensis ‘Washington Navel’) is the most widely grown navel orange in the world, a natural mutation that appeared in Brazil in the early 19th century and was introduced to Washington in 1870, hence its name. Its tree hardiness reaches 16°F (−9°C), making it suitable for in-ground growing in USDA zones 8b and 9a. The vigorous tree commonly reaches 10 to 16 ft (3 to 5 m) in cultivation, and can reach 20 ft (6 m) in favorable ground, with a rounded habit, evergreen foliage, and fragrant white flowers in spring. Its large bright orange fruit, 7.1 to 10.6 oz (200 to 300 g), characterized by a visible secondary navel, seedless, with easy-to-peel skin, ripen in winter and offer juicy, sweet, fragrant flesh. The ultimate table orange: to be eaten fresh, as juice pressed right away (it oxidizes quickly), in salad. Graft onto Poncirus trifoliata for in-ground growing, plant against a south wall. Harvest in January-March.

Two pale yellow citrus fruit with attached leaves

Rio Red Grapefruit

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Origin: Rio Red is a red-fleshed grapefruit variety selected in the 1980s through gamma-radiation mutation induction at Texas A&M University, […]

Labeled trays of cut grapefruit and pummelo samples

Oro Blanco Grapefruit

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Oro Blanco grapefruit (Citrus grandis × Citrus paradisi ‘Oroblanco’) is a modern hybrid between the Siamese Sweet pummelo and the white Marsh grapefruit, created in California in 1958 to combine the sweetness of the Asian pummelo with the generosity of the grapefruit. Its tree hardiness reaches 14°F (−10°C), making it suitable for in-ground growing in USDA zone 8a-8b. The vigorous tree reaches 10 to 16 ft (3 to 5 m) with a rounded habit, evergreen foliage, and fragrant white flowers. Its golden-yellow fruit, large at 10.6 to 14.1 oz (300 to 400 g) with thick skin, ripen in winter and have white to light green flesh, juicy, sweet, and slightly tart, with little bitterness unlike classic grapefruits. Excellent fresh for those who dislike the bitterness of grapefruit, and in winter fruit salad. Graft onto Poncirus trifoliata.

A round yellow citrus fruit on a leafy branch

Shangjuan

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Shangjuan (Citrus wilsonii) is a wild Chinese citrus native to the provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou, a cousin of the Ichang lemon, from which it inherits its exceptional tree hardiness of 5°F (−15°C). It can be grown in the ground up to USDA zone 7b. The vigorous tree reaches 10 to 16 ft (3 to 5 m) with an upright, thorny habit, evergreen foliage with the winged petiole characteristic of papedas, and fragrant white spring flowers. Its large yellow fruit, 7.1 to 12.3 oz (200 to 350 g) with thick, rough skin, ripen in winter and give an aromatic, acidic juice reminiscent of a very fragrant grapefruit, with a zest exceptionally rich in essential oils. Used traditionally in Chinese cooking and Tibetan medicine. Its hardiness comes from its wild parent the Ichang papeda, which grows in the cold mountains of southwestern China. Graft onto Poncirus trifoliata.

A potted citrus plant bearing yellow fruit against a wall

Four Seasons Citrangequat

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Four Seasons citrangequat (× Citroncirus × Fortunella ‘Four Seasons Citrangequat’) is a triple hybrid combining kumquat, orange, and Poncirus trifoliata, selected for its almost continuous fruiting all year round in favorable climates. Its tree hardiness reaches 14°F (−10°C), making it suitable for in-ground growing in USDA zone 8a-8b. The compact tree reaches 7 to 10 ft (2 to 3 m) with a rounded, thorny habit, semi-evergreen foliage, and almost continuous fragrant white bloom. Its golden-orange, pear-shaped fruit, about 3.1 in (8 cm) according to the Arche du Livradois, with thin skin, ripen in successive waves over several months and hold a very fragrant, acidic juice with an intense zest, and edible skin like that of kumquats. Excellent candied, in liqueur, in marmalade, and fresh. Very ornamental thanks to the simultaneous presence of flowers and fruit at different stages. Graft onto Poncirus trifoliata.

Whole and halved dark red-fleshed citrus fruit on a kitchen board

Moro Blood Orange

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Origin: Moro blood orange (Citrus sinensis ‘Moro’) is one of the most iconic and most deeply pigmented blood oranges there […]

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