Thomasville Citrangequat
Estimated Genetic Ancestry
- 50% Kumquat
- 25% Sweet Orange
- 25% Poncirus trifoliata
Thomasville is a citrangequat from Walter Swingle's 1909 work at Eustis, Florida. The explicit historical account identifies oval kumquat as the seed parent and Willits citrange as the pollen parent; it first fruited at Thomasville, Georgia in 1915. It was named and described in 1923, and Riverside received a cutting from Swingle in 1924.[23][24][1]
The fruit is small to medium-small, rounded to oval or pear-shaped, with yellow to orange-yellow rind. Taste varies with maturity and growing conditions: green fruit is often used for lime-like acidity, while yellow-orange greenhouse fruit has been described as sweet and tart with navel-orange and kumquat notes. Seed counts and perceived bitterness vary among accounts; refrigerated or overripe fruit should be compared cautiously.[1][8][14][11][25]
UCR describes a vigorous, upright, thorny tree with variable, mainly trifoliolate leaves. Young potted grafts can nevertheless remain small and flower early, while an own-root orchard seedling grew into a much larger, rounded tree. Reports of flowers or fruit set soon after grafting concern scion precocity, not seedling bearing age or a completed early harvest.[1][13][12][10][26]
Growers use Thomasville for fresh eating at a preferred ripe stage, marmalade, candied peel, culinary juice and lime-like drinks when green. Harvest timing and protection matter: prolonged hanging can reduce fruit quality, and fruit can freeze even when the tree remains in good condition. Reported cold episodes differ by site, plant size and exposure, so they do not establish one reliable minimum temperature for every tree or crop.[14][20][9][13][17]