Archive documents "Distribution of the Willits citrange in [1905, 1906, 1907]" from the National Agricultural Library, authored by Herbert J. Webber, claim the variety is the result of Trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata) as the seed parent and common sweet orange as the pollen parent, produced through controlled crosses conducted by Herbert J. Webber and W. T. Swingle. Named Willits in honor of Edwin Willits, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture. Descriptions of the fruit and tree exist in the attached links. "The fruit makes a fine drink similar to lemonade or limeade and will be found pleasant as an acid fruit to eat with sugar. It is an excellent substitute for the lemon to serve with fish or oysters and is valuable also for culinary purposes, for which its seedlessness renders it specially desirable. The products made from the Willits citrange are very different in flavor from those made from the Rusk citrange. They possess more nearly the character and flavor of those made from the lemon." - New citrus creations of the Department of agriculture