Citrus Varieties
Of the thousands of different varieties of citrus plants that are grown around the world we have included below a list of the lines that we grow and have found most popular, along with a brief description.
Growing Tip: To extend the period of time you will have fruit rather than planting two trees of the same variety such as two Mandarin Emperors, try planting two different varieties such as a Mandarin Emperor and Mandarin Imperial. As the Mandarin Imperial will fruit earlier than the Mandarin Emperor you will have fruit on your trees for twice as long and avoid having all your fruit ripe at the one time.
Cumquats (Fortunella spp.)
Cumquat Calamondin: Known as the Australian cumquat, it is cold hardy and produces large numbers of round fruit which are used in jams and liqueurs.
Cumquat Meiwa: Produces a round fruit that is sweeter than the Nagami. Grows into a good shaped small tree
Cumquat Nagami: A good looking small tree that will produce good numbers of oval shaped tart fruit. Very popular for jams.
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Cumquat Nagami
Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi)
Grapefruit Flame: Similar to both the Marsh and Ruby. The main difference being that Flame’s flesh will be darker than the Ruby.
Grapefruit Marsh: The traditional yellow grapefruit. It is a very productive tree with the fruit almost being seedless or having very few seeds.
Grapefruit Rio Red: A new variety from Texas. The Rio Red has a pink flesh but is low in acid making it popular with people who like to eat the fruit raw or in juices.
Grapefruit Ruby: The original pink flesh grapefruit. The only real difference between the Flame and Marsh is the colour of the flesh. Like all the grapefruit varieties here it makes a very good small tree with dark green foliage and colourful fruit.
Marsh Grapefruit
Ruby Grapefruit
Limes
Lime Buddha’s Hand or Citron (Citrus medica): Very unusual fruit with what looks like fingers. Makes a great looking ornamental tree particularly in tropical style gardens. Traditionally used in Asian in temples as offerings. The fruit is not commonly used other than the zest.
Lime Kaffir (Citrus hystrix): This Lime’s leaves are commonly used in Asian cooking and is very popular. Both the juice and zest is also used in Asian cooking. It makes a great small tree with its unusual shaped leaves. The leaves also make a great tea with lemongrass and Vietnamese mint.
Lime Tahitian (Citrus aurantifolia): This is the classic ‘beer and cooking’ lime. The fruit is large and juicy and used extensively in cooking and salads. It is also great when a slice is used in Mexican beers.
Lime Sweet (Citrus limettiodes): This mild tasting lime originally comes from the Middle East where it is used in cooking. Although the fruit is mild tasting it does make a good shaped tree that produces large numbers of fruit.
Tahitian Lime
Lemons (Citrus lemon)
Lemon Eureka: One of the world’s most popular lemons. Produces large numbers of fruit that are great on fish and chips or for cooking. Very similar to the Lisbon only with smaller thorns.
Lemon Lisbon: Very similar to the Eureka however has larger thorns. The fruit is very good for cooking and in salads or fish.
Lemonade: As the name suggests this variety is great in drinks or to eat straight from the tree.
Lemon Meyer: This hybrid between an orange and a lemon results in a sweeter lemon ideal for drinks. Very popular in backyards around Australia. This tree produces good numbers of fruit on a consistent basis.
Lemon Villa Franca: This is a traditional lemon from Italy similar to Lisbon or Eureka but very popular in Mediterranean cooking.
Meyer Lemon
Lisbon Lemon
Mandarins (Citrus reticulata)
Mandarin Ellendale: This is a late season fruit producer with large fruit of a deep orange colour. Like most popular Mandarin varieties the fruit is very rich in flavour although the fruit may be hard to peel until the it has fully matured. Sometimes referred to as a Tangor as it is crossed with an orange.
Mandarin Emperor: This is a very popular easy peeling variety that produces large numbers of sweet fruit. This mid season variety provides a great companion to the Imperial variety which has early season fruit.
Mandarin Hickson: This is a mid season producer with large flat shaped fruit. A nice flavoured fruit with leaves slightly rounder than other mandarin varieties.
Mandarin Imperial: Along with the Emperor this is another very popular variety. It will produce large numbers of small to medium sized fruit early in the season. The fruit is very sweet and easy to peel making it ideal for children to eat directly from the tree.
Mandarin Imperial trees
Mandarin Imperial & Emperor trees
Oranges (Citrus sinensis)
Arnold Blood: This variety of Blood or pigmented orange has been developed here in Australia. Unlike other European varieties of Blood orange it does not need the really cold winter to produce a dark colour flesh making ideal in warmer climates such as Queensland. A good eating and juicing orange. Tip: If you are in a area where it is not cold enough for your blood oranges to colour up try putting the fruit in the fridge for a day or so after you have picked it.
Bergamot (Citrus bergamia): Also know as a Sour Orange or Castagnaro this orange comes from Southern Italy. It is perhaps the most fragrant of all the citrus and makes a wonderful small tree. If you have ever wondered what gives Earl Grey Tea its wonderful aroma - it’s the Bergamot. The flesh is sour and is used in marmalades and baking will the oil extracted from the rind is used in such products as Earl and Lady Grey Tea, Turkish Delight and health products and cosmetics. It a rare citrus and is great for someone who is looking for something different.
Cara Cara: This variety of orange is a navel. Not very common however is one that is really worthwhile tracking down. As a navel it is a great eating orange and is also very juicy. The bonus to this variety is that the flesh of the fruit is a ruby to light red colour similar to that of a Blood orange although not as dark. Unlike most Blood oranges however, it does not need a cold winter to colour up making it ideal for Queensland and warmer areas.
Joppa: A traditional variety of orange known for its heavy mid season fruit. Very juicy but does have seeds.
Lane’s Late Navel: As the name suggests one of the navel varieties of oranges. Great to eat straight from the tree or to juice. This varieties fruit matures late in the season.
Navelina: Another navel variety. As with all the navels the fruit is great eating or juicing. This is one of the earliest fruiting varieties.
Newhall: Another navel. Not commonly seen in shops as its fruit is more oval than round and not preferred by supermarkets for that reason. However the fruit is one of the nicest eating and juicing available and makes a good looking tree.
Seville: This variety of orange produces juicy fruit that is very sour. The fruit however is very popular for making marmalade.
Valencia: A very good juicing variety of orange. Late maturing fruit that has seeds.
Valencia Seedless: Similar to the Valencia variety however it has very few seeds. Good for juice. However if the juice is left to stand for any period of time the lack of seeds in the fruit will make it bitter.
Washington: One of the most popular navels. This variety is an early to mid fruiter with few seeds. Great to eat straight from the tree or to juice.
Washington Orange
Cara Cara Orange
Tangerine (Citrus reticulata x sinensis)
Tangerine: This citrus is a cross between Mandarin and Orange. The fruit is more Mandarin sized although not as sweet as some mandarin varieties.
Pummelo (Citrus grandis)
Pummelo K13: Sometimes know as a Shaddock or Chinese Grapefruit the Pummelo is the most tropical of the citrus and is grown extensively throughout Asia. The fruit is also the largest of any citrus and can grow to a small basketball size. The fruit is lightly flavoured and is great in salads. It also makes a great small feature tree. This variety is sweet with yellow flesh.
Pummelo Carter’s Red: Very similar to the K13 variety, however the fruit is not as sweet and the flesh is pink in colour.