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Citrus Guide

The citrus guide is presented in conjunction with Four Winds Growers. Photos and text courtesy of Four Winds Growers. For 50 years, California growers of Dwarf Citrus Trees for home gardeners. Especially favored by chefs are Meyer Lemon, Mexican Lime and Kaffir (Thai) Lime. Order Dwarf Citrus trees shipped to your door.

	BEARSS SEEDLESS LIME Large fruit, very juicy and seedless. This is the most commonly grown commercial variety. Most be protected from severe frosts. Crop heaviest in fall, although fruit stores on tree finally turning from green to yellow before falling off.
	MEXICAN LIME Known as 'Key Lime in Florida, this is the most tender citrus. Fruit much smaller than 'Bearss' with many seeds. Strong lime flavor and Juicy.
	RANGPUR LIME In reality this orange-colored fruit is a sour mandarin. Its juice combines mellow lime sourness with mild orange flavor. Closed blossoms are purple in color.
	KAFIR (Kieffer/Thai/Wild) LIME Leaves, zest, and juice are used in Thai, Cambodian, and Indonesian cooking. Bumpy fruit. The leaves of the kaffir lime tree are a dark green color with a glossy sheen. The kaffir lime fruit approximates the size of a Western lime. The fruit is dark green in color and has a bumpy surface.
	CALAMONDIN Prized fruit of the Philippines, know as 'Kalamansi'. Small orange fruit, sour in taste, can be used as a lime or to make marmalade. Spectacular ornamental. Upright habit. Early bearing and highly productive.
	EUREKA LEMON Produces large crops of fruit all year near the coast. Prune tree to keep compact and to keep from becoming leggy. Has fewer thorns than 'Lisbon'. Handsome as individual specimen or patio container tree.
	LISBON LEMON Major commercial variety worldwide. Originated in Portugal. Thornier than 'Eureka'. Does well in warmer desert regions and the interior valleys where it tends to fruit year-round.
	MEYER LEMON Thin-skinned fruit that is less tart than 'Eureka' or 'Lisbon'. Plant has a mounding habit. Nearly thornless. Fruits abundantly in winter but can have some fruit most months of the year. Mature fruit turns from yellow to slightly orange in color.
	EUSTIS LIMEQUAT Fruit gets it's shape from Kumquat and it's flavor from 'Mexican Lime'. Everbearing and highly productive. Somewhat more cold hardy than lime parent. Small foliage. Needs occasional pruning to keep full.
	MINNEOLA TANGELO A tasty hybrid turns bright red-orange color in winter. Fruit must ripen slowly on tree during spring for best tangerine flavor. Very sweet and juicy upon maturity, even in summer months.
	DANCY TANGERINE Best known of the Mandarins. Winter-ripening fruit. Easy to peel. Some seeds. Tree has fine foliage and upright habit. Good flavor.
	SATSUMA MANDARIN Hardiest of all mandarins. Seedless and easy to peel. Excellent flavor when ripe in winter months. Stores well when refrigerated but not well on tree. A very slow grower.
	CLEMENTINE MANDARIN From North Africa. Fruit is spring ripening, is slightly larger than Dancy and has fewer seeds. Yields best production in desert. Also produces well in coastal climates.
	FREMONT MANDARIN Bright reddish-orange peel, rich flavor, tender and juicy. Some seeds, heavy bearer. Fruit holds well on tree until spring. Where protected from cold, fruit flavor is unsurpassed.
	KUMQUAT Small orange fruit that are eaten peel and all. Will store on trees for months without loss of flavor. Needs lots of heat to produce very fragrant blossoms in summer. Plant is very cold hardy. Very ornamental with small foliage. Native of China, it is a symbol of prosperity and good luck.
	ROBERTSON NAVEL ORANGE Fruit borne in clusters. This navel has excellent flavor even in areas of low summer heat. Early ripening, seedless and a heavy bearer.
	WASHINGTON NAVEL ORANGE Famous winter-ripening fruit. Excellent in flavor. Seedless, easy to peel, separates into segments. Also good for fresh squeezed juice in winter.
	TROVITA ORANGE Spring ripening. Wide range of climate adaptation. Develops great flavor even in areas of low summer heat such as the coastal areas of California. Few seeds.
	VALENCIA ORANGE Summer ripening. The traditional "juice orange", also good for eating. Blooms in spring and has small green fruit first summer which ripen the following summer. Stores well on tree for long periods actually improving in quality.
	JAFFA ORANGE Also known as 'Shamouti' orange. Grown in Israel. Spring ripening. Fruit is almost seedless, pleasantly sweet and juicy. Easy to peel. Stores well on tree.
	SANGUINELLI BLOOD ORANGE Rind blushed deep red. Flesh red flecked to beet red. Needs more heat than 'MORO' to sweeten up. Tart spicy flavor. Mostly seedless.
	MORO BLOOD ORANGE Rich burgundy color also grow in coastal areas. Very productive, early maturity. Distinctive aroma, exotic berry like flavor.
	MARSH SEEDLESS GRAPEFRUIT Best flavor if grown in hot climate locations. Fruits takes 18 months from bloom to ripen. Tree has dense form and rich, green foliage.
	RIO RED GRAPEFRUIT Texas hybrid that shows much better color than the traditional 'Ruby'. Best in warmer locations but also performs well near the coast.
	ORO BLANCO GRAPEFRUIT Large white-fleshed hybrid that matures mainly in early spring. Fruit very sweet even when grown in coastal areas with low summer heat. Huge fragrant blossoms in spring. Large glossy-green foliage.
	STAR RUBY GRAPEFRUIT Dark red color is characteristic of this variety, even when grown in cooler coastal regions. Crop heavy in spring, stores well on the tree.

Source: Hungrymonster.com Staff Writers and FourWindsGrowers.