Dulcia citron

Citrus medica L.

CRC 3645

PI 539436

Photos by David Karp, CVC, 11/7/2006. Photo rights.

Source: Received as a budded tree from John Carpenter, USDA Date & Citrus Station, Indio, California. 1968. Open pollinated seedling.

Parentage/origins: Parents unknown.

Rootstocks of accession: Yuma Ponderosa lemon

Season of ripeness at Riverside: November to January

Notes and observations:

12/2/1987, EMN: This is a relatively small citron; the fruit is about the size and shape of a large market tomato, flattened at both ends. Yellow rind, some fruits have a persistent style. Medium thick rind, sour, lemon-like flavor. Leaves are smallish with a blunt tip but fairly typical of citron.

11/7/2006, DK: Has a distinctive flattish shape, and despite its name has acid flesh. The fruit has a lemony aroma, but molecular markers indicate that it's pure citron (Please see Noelle Barkley's study, Assessing genetic diversity and population structure in a citrus germplasm collection utilizing simple sequence repeat markers (SSRs)). The small fruit looks like a little persimmon, or Chinese lantern. Tree is small, flat; leaves look like citron.

Availability: Not commercially available in California.

USDA Germplasm Resource Information Network for Dulcia citron