Pocirus trifoliata


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Plant Characteristics
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Cultivation
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Scientific Names



Read about Pocirus trifoliata in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Pocirus trifoliata, Raf. (Citrus trifoliata, Linn. Citrus fusca, Lour. Pseudaegle sepiaria, Miq. Pseudaegle trifoliata, Makino. Eglei sepiaria, DC. Limoniai trichocarpa, Hance. Citrus triptera, Carr.). Trifoliate Orange. Figs. 3123-3125. A small tree, spines long and stout: lvs. deciduous, trifoliolate, often borne in tufts on old wood (see Fig. 3123); terminal lfts. 1 1/2-2 1/2 in. long, lateral ones 1-2 in. long, sessile, petiole slightly winged: fls. 1 1/2-2 in. across, white, the corolla opening nearly flat, and the petals narrowed to a claw at base (Fig. 3124), stamens free, ovary 6-8- (generally 7-) celled: fr. very fragrant, dull lemon-colored, like a small orange in shape, but only 1 1/2-2 in. diam., and covered with fine downy hairs, oil-glands of peel abundant, filled with a very disagreeably flavored oil, pulp scanty, very aromatic, seeds ovoid, plump, very numerous, leaving little space for pulp, Illus. Kaempf. Amoen. 801. B.M. 6513. G.C. III. 27:269. Penzig, Studi sugli Agrumi, Atlas, pls. 13, 14. U. S. Dept. Agric. Yearbook 1904, pl. X. U. S. Dept. Agric. B.P.I. Circ. No. 46, figs. 1-6, pl. 1. Comptes rendus 4 me Confer. Internat. Genet; p. 386.—The trifoliate orange has been known in N. China since ancient times, being repeatedly referred to in early works, and it was described and figured in the Chenglei pen ts'ao, printed in 1108 A.D. It was early intro. into Japan and definitely referred to in the Mannyo shu, a Japanese MSS. work dating from the 8th century. Var. monstrdsa,Swingle (Citrus trifoliata var. monstrbsa, T. Ito in Encyclopedia Jap- onica, 2:1056). Hiryo, or Flying Dragon. This is a curious, very dwarf variety with tortuous branches and curved spines. The lvs. are very small and inconspicuous as the lfts. are often reduced to mere filaments on which the oil-glands appear as node-like thickenings. This variety is esteemed in Japan for cult, as a dwarfed pot-plant. The writer introduced it from Japan into this country in 1915.

The hybrids between Poncirus trifoliata and the common orange are called citranges. A number of varieties, Rusk Colman, Morton, and so on, are grown for home use in the cotton-belt, north of the limit of successful orange-culture. See Citrange. Promising hardy hybrids have been made at the Department of Agriculture under the writer's direction between P. trifoliata and a number of other species of citrous fruits, such as the sour orange, mandarin, grapefruit, lemon, lime, calamondin, kumquat (Fortunella sp.), and others. These are being tested in the field.

The principal use of the trifoliate orange is for stock upon which to graft the commonly cultivated citrous fruits. It is especially well adapted to rather rich somewhat moist, sandy loam soils, preferably with a clay subsoil, such as are common around the Gulf Coast. It is not at all adapted to light sandy soils, nor to strongly calcareous soils. Almost all kinds of citrous fruits grow readily on trifoliate stock but are dwarfed somewhat and usually forced into early bearing. The Satsuma orange as grown commercially in this country is practically limited to this stock as it does not grow at all on sour orange stock and succeeds only very imperfectly on sweet orange stock. Trifoliate stock is also very widely used in Japan. In the states south of the Potomac and Ohio rivers the trifoliate orange is sometimes used for hedges, for which purpose it is well adapted because of its dwarfed habit, strong thorns, handsome flowers, foliage, and fruits. Even in winter after the leaves have fallen its twigs remain green. It is very widely used for hedges in Japan. P. trifoliata is also of value as an ornamental tree for lawn planting, for which purpose care should be taken to secure large- flowered forms. It can be grown for this purpose as far north as Philadelphia. The trifoliate orange shows surprisingly little variation. Millions of seedlings are grown every year in the larger citrous nurseries of this country but it is rare to see any perceptible variation in the character of the leaves and twigs. The flowers, however, do show variation, often having a partial staminody of the petals (rarely complete) which makes them smaller and less handsome than the normal large flowers. The fruits are usually nearly spherical but rarely are somewhat elongate and papillate, much like a very small lemon. Walter T. Swingle.

POND-APPLE: Annona glabra. P. Lily: Nuphar. P.-weed: Potamogeton. CH


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