Willits Citrange

The 1904 Yearbook describes Willits as a reciprocal hybrid of trifoliate orange and common orange. It reports that the Willits seedling was one of 40 seedlings from a single hybrid fruit grown in Col. G. H. Norton's Eustis grove, and proposes the name in honor of First Assistant Secretary Edwin Willits. This account does not date the specific cross.^⁠[1]

The 1904 account describes Willits fruit as lemon-yellow with tender pulp and 6–10 segments. It reports about one seed per four fruits and a September–November maturity season; the fruit sample count is not stated.^⁠[1]

The 1904 account recommended Willits fruit as a lemon substitute for the table and for cooking, noting its low seed count as a practical advantage. This is a historical use recommendation, not a current commercial assessment.^⁠[1]

Castle's 2010 retrospective says the 1904 Yearbook considered Willits the second citrange with potential value, while Morton was initially thought more promising. Castle later suggested Willits might merit attention as a size-controlling rootstock. This is historical perspective, not a Willits-specific trial result.^⁠[2]