Wilking Mandarin

UCR identifies Wilking as a King tangor × Willowleaf mandarin hybrid. Hodgson’s 1967 account calls Wilking a sister of Kinnow and reports that both resulted from a 1915 cross made by H. B. Frost at Riverside. These are historical parentage statements, not molecular confirmation.^⁠[1]

Fruit small to medium in size, slightly oblate; base flattened and somewhat furrowed; apex flattened or moderately depressed. Rind medium-thin, somewhat brittle, somewhat adherent but readily peelable; surface slightly pebbled, glossy.; orange-colored at maturity. Segments 9 to 12, firm but separating easily; axis semi-hollow. Flesh color deep orange; very juicy; flavor rich, sprightly, aromatic, and distinctive. Seeds moderately numerous, monoembryonic, and cotyledons greenish-yellow to yellow-tinged. Midseason in maturity (about like Kinnow). Retains quality and stores well on tree but with some puffing.^⁠[1]

Tree moderately vigorous, medium in size, round-topped, nearly thornless; leaves long, broadly lanceolate, and taper-pointed. Strong tendency to alternate bearing with small fruits in the on-crop seasons and little or no fruits in the off-crop years. Cold-resistant.^⁠[1]

Two crop-management studies report trial-specific observations. Spiegel-Roy described Wilking as highly self-fertile and noted adjacent Clementine trees in an observation of fruit set and seed count. In a Northern Negev trial, ethephon and NAA treatments increased individual-fruit size by 64% and 48%; the reported profit comparison was separately against hand-thinned controls. These results do not establish standardized taste or general rootstock performance.^⁠[3]⁠[5]