Rokugatsu-mikan sour orange

Zadaidai sour orange

Citrus rokugatsu

CRC 3473

PI 539545

Photos by David Karp, CVC, 2/11/2008. Photo rights. 

Source: Received as seed from Okitsu, Shizuoka Pref., Japan, via W.P. Bitters, 1963.

Parentage/origins: Parents unknown. Probably migrated from Okinawa, Japan.

Rootstocks of accession: Carrizo citrange, C-35 citrange

Season of ripeness at Riverside: January to March

Notes and observations:

Notes from T. Tanaka in CITROLOGIA, pg 90, University of Osaka, Japan, 1961: Probably migrated from Okinawa. Leaves almost wingless, petioles narrowly winged, fruits globose, 4 cm long & 4.8 am abroad, rind yellow, pulp acid, weight of fruit approximately 35 grams, 9 seeds.

Notes from W.P. Bitters' 1963 trip to Japan: No fruit available for examination. This is polyembryonic and has a fleshy calyx. Might be tried as a rootstock.

2/26/1988, EMN: Fleshy calyx. Heavy crop, not falling on ground yet. Light orange, rough rind, about the size of a small orange. Round but flattened at ends, particularly at apical end which may be depressed and exhibit a depressed ring. Rind moderately thick, loose and puffy. Peels like a Satsuma. Moderately seedy. Flesh light to medium orange in color, juicy, sour.

2/11/2008 OJB, TS & DK: Relatively thin, tender rind for a sour orange, peels from the flesh; looks like a hybrid with mandarin.

Description from The Citrus Industry Vol. 1 (1967):

"The Zadaidai is a well-known variety in Japan.  The tree is somewhat lacking in vigor, usually dwarfed, round-topped, and nearly thornless, but otherwise similar to the common bitter orange except that the leaves are slightly smaller, with petioles more narrowly winged.  The fruit differs only in the fact that the calyx is unusually large, well developed, and very thick and fleshy, a character occasionally found in other citrus fruits."

Availability: Not commercially available in California.