Microcitrus australasica var. sanguinea

CRC 3672

PI 312872

VI 697

Photos by David Karp and Toni Siebert, CVC. Bottom left and right photograph taken in Visalia, Ca, by David Karp, 12/11/2008. Photo rights.  

Source: Received as budwood from Dr. Joe Furr, USDCS, Indio, CA (from Yuma, Arizona), 1968.

Parentage/origins: Parents unknown

Rootstocks of accession: Schaub Rough lemon, Cleopatra mandarin, C-35 citrange, Carrizo citrange, Calamondin, Citrus macrophylla

Season of ripeness at Riverside: Year round; peak fruit production is November to December

Season of flowering at Riverside: February to April

Notes and observations:

RRK, 12/2006: The source history of this accession is confusing and not well documented. The PI book lists this PI as being received as seeds in 1966. However, both the CRC and USDCS records indicated that the seeds were received directly by Joe Furr in 1965 "from Yuma, Arizona" (according to CRC records) or from "Dept. Agric. Sydney" (according to USDCS records). The origin direct from Australia is consistent between the PI book and the Date Station records. Possibly the CRC records mean that the accession arrived at the CRC from Indio via Yuma. The date received at the CRC is not noted on the CRC card, however there is a planting date of 1971. Other CRC records indicate that it was received in 1968. However, the CRC number is in the middle of other accessions that were received in 1966. It therefore seems most likely that the accession was received at the CRC as small plants from the USDCS approximately one year after receipt at Indio. Although the origin in Australia is not well documented ("Dept of Agriculture, Sydney, Australia") other accessions of M. australasica are documented in CRC records as being collected by W.V. Mungomery [sic], Dept. Ind., Mayborough, N.S.W., Australia...from North Arm, Murwillumbah, N.S.W.". So it is likely that this was also the origin of this accession. Note that this existed for many years at Riverside but was only VI'ed recently due to interest in the use of M. australasica as a garnish by local and other chefs.
 

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

"This variety differs from the species in that the pulp-vesicles at maturity vary from pink to red in color.
      There are similar "pink" or red varieties of oranges (the so-called "blood oranges") and grapefruit, some of which are known to have arisen as budsports.   However, the red-pulped variety of the Australian finger-lime is found growing wild and can be propagated from seed; it seems to have originated without the aid of man."

Availability: Commercially available in California through the Citrus Clonal Protection Program.

USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network page for Microcitrus australasica (CRC 3672)