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Trifoliate Orange 80-100 cm (Citrus trifoliata)
€27,95 EUR
Unit price perExpected delivery date: 19 January to 26 January.
Applies to orders within Sweden. For other countries - see our delivery terms .
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€27,95 EUR
Unit price perTrifoliate Orange tree - current height 80-100 cm
Trifoliate Orange is self-fertile = only 1 tree is needed for fruiting
Common names: Trifoliate Orange, Bitter Orange, Hardy orange, Japanese Bitter Orange, Karatachi
Scientific name: Citrus trifoliata / Poncirus trifoliata
Family: Rutaceae
Plant history & use:
One of the few citrus plants that is truly hardy in our climate. An unusual Deciduous citrus variety with three-fingered leaves and slightly downy fruits. Originates from northern China.
Easiest to use in everyday life by squeezing juice from the fruits - and possibly mixing with water to make a refreshing drink that should be very tasty. Tip : peel the fruits and boil in water together with 'Sweetleaf' leaves to remove the bitterness but at the same time not lose the rich flavor of the peel, and add a little sweetness to the drink.
You can also make jams and jellies from the fruits - their rich pectin content makes this a suitable use. The taste should be somewhere between a lime and a grapefruit.
Freshly harvested fruits do not contain much juice, but if you let them sit for about 2 weeks after harvest, the juice content increases to about 20%. Fruits are rich in vitamin C.
The fruit peel is used as a seasoning, dried or fresh. The whole fruit can also be sliced into pieces and dried for use as a seasoning. Younger leaves are edible.
Thorns and bark have historically been used to relieve toothache (Duke. JA and Ayensu. ES). Bark from the trunk is used for stomach problems such as bloating, etc.
One tree/bush can generate up to 14 kg of fruit.
The whole plant, but especially the flowers, are very aromatic. Flowers fragrantly in April-May. Beautiful foliage in autumn. Eye-catchingly beautiful in winter with its yellow fruits on a bare stem.
Used as a rootstock for other citrus species - adds an extra 3ºC in hardiness to the grafted plant (Natural Food Institute).
Lemon thorn hybridizes extensively with other citrus species, making it a good breeding parent if you intend to develop new hardy citrus varieties. For example, Citrange is a type of hardy orange that was developed by crossing Lemon thorn with a "regular" orange.
In addition to contributing hardiness in breeding programs, Lemonthorn can be used to transfer, among other things: good disease resistance, tolerance to more nutrient-poor soils and low-growing characteristics.
The sharp thorns and bushy growth habit make it very suitable as a boundary hedge.
Culture:
Easy to grow. Tolerant of many different types of soil. However, Lemon Thorn thrives best in well-drained, nutritious, moist and slightly sandy soil.
Place in sun to partial shade. Lemon thorn is a citrus plant that grows and produces fruit well even as undergrowth that is shaded for part of the day.
Hardy down to -15 ºC. Seedlings have been reported ready short periods of temperatures down to -30 ºC without damage.
Lemon thorn often has a lifespan of about 25 years. Quite short-lived in other words - with the advantage that it starts producing fruit earlier than other varieties and that it produces plenty of fertile seeds to propel the next generation of plants in time.
Features:
Year: Perennial
Growing position: sun/partial shade
Height: 2-5 meters
Growing zone: 1-2, up to zone 5 in greenhouses
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