Ponkan Mandarin

The UCR collection page identifies the accession as CRC 3849 and says it was received as seed from another Ponkan accession, CRC 2593, in 1961. UCR lists its parents as unknown.^⁠[1]

Hodgson’s 1967 description reproduced by UCR describes Ponkan fruit as large for a mandarin, globose to moderately oblate, with a medium-thick, loosely attached rind. It describes the flesh as tender, melting and juicy, with mild, aromatic flavor, and says quality declines and the rind may puff if ripe fruit is left unpicked.^⁠[1]

In Hodgson’s 1967 account reproduced by UCR, Ponkan is described as vigorous and distinctly upright, productive but prone to alternate bearing, and less cold-resistant than most mandarins. These are historical cultivar descriptions, not measurements of CRC 3849.^⁠[1]

Hodgson’s 1967 account reproduced by UCR attributes to Tanaka (1927) the opinion that Ponkan originated in India; it says the fruit may have reached Europe by 1805. The account refers the first known U.S. introduction to about 1892 or 1893, when an unnamed American medical missionary in China sent fruit to J. C. Barrington in Florida. Seedlings were raised and one was later identified as Ponkan; the account also says the Wartmann Nursery propagated it as Warnurco before that identification. These are retrospective accounts, not exact origin dates or a named originator.^⁠[1]

Hodgson’s 1967 account says Tanaka (1954) restricted the species to the Ponkan group, a taxonomic opinion that the account notes was not generally accepted. It describes several recognized forms or clones and presents the proposed Coorg, Assam, Khasi, Butwal, and Sikkim budline relationship to Nagpur suntara as probable. It identifies Oneco as a Ponkan form and says it appears to be Cravo Tardia; these are historical relationship claims, not verified pedigree for CRC 3849.^⁠[1]

Hodgson’s 1967 account describes Nagpur suntara as India’s most commercially important citrus fruit and estimates about 100,000 acres for it and its seedling derivatives, while stating that accurate statistics were unavailable. This is a historical estimate, not a current acreage figure.^⁠[1]

Hodgson’s 1967 account characterizes Ponkan as especially suited to tropical conditions and reports disappointing performance in hot, arid subtropics. This is a historical climate assessment, not a quantified modern site trial.^⁠[1]