Conestoga 026 Citrange

Conestoga 026 is a seedling selection of C-35 citrange from “kumin”’s cold-hardiness trial in southeastern Pennsylvania. The breeder calls the series F2 progeny but states that the seed lot’s pollen parent was not confirmed. Its displayed 50% sweet orange and 50% Poncirus ancestry is a parent-based estimate, not a genetic measurement of this selection.^{⁠[10]⁠[11]}

Also recorded as A-026, this deciduous, Poncirus-like selection was the first of the breeder’s Conestogas to flower and fruit. A contemporary December 2021 report documented immature fruit at about 44 months from seed. A later account recalled flowering in the second summer under a high tunnel, so the exact earliest flowering age remains uncertain. The breeder reports small flowers, a stockier outdoor habit and satisfactory growth on its own roots.^{⁠[12]⁠[13]⁠[3]⁠[2]⁠[5]}

Conestoga 026 performed close to 010 and 006 after the windy 2°F (−16.7°C) event of winter 2022–2023, although the breeder ranked it marginally less hardy at that inspection. Following January 2025’s −8°F (−22.2°C) low, it had only very minor damage to the latest growth. These are observations from the Pennsylvania trial, not guaranteed survival limits.^{⁠[14]⁠[1]}

The fruit is small, seedy and acidic, with a thin rind. The breeder favors it for diluted, sweetened drinks and preferred its tart-grapefruit flavor in an October 2025 comparison, despite incomplete ripeness. One fruit tested in November 2022 registered 12 °Brix with a reported 2 mm rind. The Mulberries’ separate tasting found low sweetness, very sour juice, moderate bitterness and a piney aftertaste. Samples and seasons remain separate.^{⁠[4]⁠[9]⁠[15]⁠[7]}

The breeder reports viable seeds but predominantly nucellar seedlings, without a genetically verified zygotic rate. He has used 026 as a pollen parent on Meyer lemon and describes variable progeny with several leaf forms. These are breeder-reported crosses rather than molecularly confirmed parentage. His stated plan favors 026 pollen on citrandarin seed parents; offspring hardiness cannot be assumed from 026’s own performance.^{⁠[16]⁠[17]⁠[18]⁠[19]⁠[20]}