Citrus trifoliata
Linn.
Trifoliate orange, Japanese bitter orange
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(c) Ansel Oommen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ansel Oommen
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Leaves
Trifoliate orange fruits are very bitter, due in part to their poncirin content. Most people consider them inedible fresh, but they can be made into marmalade. When dried and powdered, they can be used as a condiment.
Where to Find It
It grows on chalk soils. It can grow on heavy clay soils with poor drainage. It is very cold hardy. In Brisbane Botanical Gardens. It suits hardiness zones 5-11.
Asia, Australia, Balkans, Britain, Central Asia, China, Europe, Hawaii, India, Japan, Korea, Macedonia, Mexico, North America, Pacific, Pakistan, Philippines, SE Asia, Taiwan, Tajikistan, USA,
How to Identify
A small to medium sized tree. It grows 2-4 m tall. It has many branches. It is thorny. It loses its leaves. The flower buds form in summer then over-winter on the bare branches. The flowers are white. They are 4-5 cm across. The fruit are small and like citrus. They become yellow when ripe.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from seed or cuttings.
Other Information
It is a cultivated food plant.
Notes
It is used as rootstock for other citrus. There are 20 Citrus species. Several hybrids have been formed.
Names & Synonyms
Gou Ju, Gou orange, Karatachi, Naranjo trebol, Naranjo trofoliado
References (22)
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- Zeven, A. C. & de West, J. M. J., 1982, Dictionary of cultivated plants and their regions of diversity. Wageningen. p 45 (As Poncirus trifoliata)
