Indio Mandarinquat

Indio Mandarinquat has an egg-like fruit with a small neck. This catalog records Nagami × Mandarin as a presumed pedigree, with estimated contributions of 50% Kumquat and 50% Mandarin. These proportions follow the assumed cross and are not genetic test results: UCR identifies CRC 3759 as an open-pollinated Nagami seedling with an unknown pollen parent.^{⁠[7]⁠[2]⁠[1]}

UCR records 1972 budwood receipt by John Carpenter at the United States Date & Citrus Station in Indio. Its VI spec-sheet account mentions a Nagami tree at UCLA, while a separate 1988 Carpenter note points to Florida; these accounts leave the original site uncertain. A January 1989 note records M. Roose’s suggested Indio mandarinquat name and a planned September ornamental trial release.^⁠[1]

Reports describe orange, necked fruit with edible peel and a tart interior, but rind thickness, seediness and eating quality vary between samples. A Geneva market-fruit report describes thin fragrant peel and very acidic juice; Seattle Figs’ tasting sample had thicker rind and flesh described as not too tart. Growers use the fruit for marmalade, sauces and citrus pies.^{⁠[7]⁠[9]⁠[5]⁠[2]}

Season and growth reports depend on location: UCR lists year-round ripeness and June–September flowering at Riverside. Johnsgard’s cutting-grown tree in The Woodlands, Texas reportedly produces 15–20 lb annually in two or three flushes, with its main crop ripening late November–December; it is covered during freezes below 20°F, so that practice does not establish a hardiness limit.^⁠[1]⁠[5]