Frost Owari Satsuma

Frost Owari is a nucellar selection derived from Owari Satsuma. The CVC CRC 3178 accession was received in 1916 as seed from an H.B. Frost seedling from the Rubidoux Tract old-line Satsuma in Riverside, California; its parents are listed as unknown.^⁠[1]

This variety is of ancient and unknown Japanese origin presumably from the old province of Owari, whence the name. While still important in the older districts it has largely been displaced by derivative varieties that have arisen from it through bud variation.^⁠[1]

Fruit medium in size, medium-oblate to subglobose; sometimes slightly necked; seedless. Orange-colored but commonly matures in advance of good coloration. Rind thin and leathery; surface smooth to slightly rough; easily separable. As maturity passes, the neck, if present, increases in size, the rind roughens, and its looseness increases, becoming baggy. Segments 10 to 12, with tough carpellary membranes; loosely separable; axis hollow. Flesh orange-colored; tender and melting; flavor rich but subacid. Season of maturity earl November-December. Fruit holds poorly on trees after maturity and must be picked promptly but stores well.^⁠[1]

Tree moderately vigorous but slow-growing,; medium-small, spreading and drooping; very productive.^⁠[1]

The CVC fruit-evaluation display for CRC 3178 retains 44 rows explicitly labelled Frost Owari and 183 labelled OWARI. Its 85.4 g aggregate spans all 227 rows and is not a Frost-only mean.^⁠[1]