The trifoliate orange, Citrus trifoliata or Poncirus trifoliata, is a member of the family Rutaceae. Whether the species should be considered to belong to its own genus, Poncirus or included in the genus Citrus is debated. The species is unusual among citrus for having deciduous, compound leaves and pubescent fruit. It is native to northern China and Korea, and is also known as the Japanese bitter-orange, hardy orange or Chinese bitter orange. The plant is a fairly cold-hardy citrus and will tolerate moderate frost and snow, making a large shrub or small tree 4–8 m tall. Because of its relative hardiness, citrus grafted onto Citrus trifoliata are usually hardier than when grown on their own roots.
Description
The trifoliate orange is recognizable by the large thorns on the shoots, and its deciduous leaves with three leaflets, typically with the middle leaflet long, and the two side leaflets long. The flowers are white, with pink stamens, in diameter, larger than those of true citrus but otherwise closely resembling them, except that the scent is much less pronounced than with true citrus. As with true citrus, the leaves give off a spicy smell when crushed. The fruits are green, ripening to yellow, and in diameter similar in size to a lime and resembling a small orange, but with a finely downy surface and having a fuzzy texture similar to a peach. The fruits also have distinctive smell from other citrus varieties and often contain a high concentration of seeds.
Uses
Cultivation
The cultivar "Flying Dragon" is dwarfed in size and has highly twisted, contortedstems. It makes an excellent barrier hedge due to its density and strong curved thorns. Such hedges have been grown for over 50 years at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, and are highly student-proof. The plant is also highly deer resistant. In central London, mature Trifoliate Orange specimens can be seen in the gardens of St Paul's Cathedral. Trifoliate orange and various hybrids of this plant are widely used as citrus rootstocks. Recent studies have revealed that the trifoliate orange contains aurapten at a high concentration, which is one of the functional components having immunity against citrus tristeza virus.
As food
The fruits are very bitter, due in part to their poncirincontent. Most people consider them inedible fresh, but they can be made into marmalade. When dried and powdered, they can be used as a condiment.
A second species in Poncirus native to Yunnan has been reported and named P. polyandra. Were Poncirus to be subsumed into Citrus, a renaming would be required since a distinct C. polyandra already exists: Citrus polytrifolia has been suggested. However, Zhang and Mabberley concluded this Yunnan cultivar is likely a hybrid between the Trifoliate orange and another Citrus, which would make it C. x polytrifolia. The trifoliate orange does not naturally interbreed with core Citrus taxa due to different flowering times, but hybrids have been produced artificially between the Trifoliate orange and other citrus. In the Swingle system, where the trifoliate orange is place in Poncirus, a hybrid genus name has been coined for these intra-generic crosses, "× Citroncirus". The most notable of these are the citrange, a cross between the trifoliate and sweet oranges, and the citrumelo, a hybrid of trifoliate orange and 'Duncan' grapefruit. Placing the trifoliate orange in Citrus would mean these hybrids would no longer be intergeneric, but instead hybrids within Citrus.
