Dave's Garden - Gardening Community
Sponsored Links: Winter Landscaping - Lawn Care Tips - Mail Order Plants - Flowering Bulbs - Landscape Design - Plant Nurseries Mail Order

PlantFiles: Japanese Hardy Orange, Bitter Orange
Poncirus trifoliata 'Flying Dragon'

 
  Welcome!  
You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!

Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.

  Login  
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.

Username:

Password:

Family: Rutaceae (roo-TAY-see-ee) (Info)
Genus: Poncirus (pon-SEER-us) (Info)
Species: trifoliata (try-foh-lee-AY-tuh) (Info)
Cultivar: Flying Dragon

6 vendors have this plant for sale.

17 members have or want this plant for trade.

Category:
Trees

Height:
4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)

Spacing:
12-15 ft. (3.6-4.7 m)

Hardiness:
USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F)
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)

Sun Exposure:
Sun to Partial Shade

Danger:
Plant has spines or sharp edges; use extreme caution when handling

Bloom Color:
White/Near White

Bloom Time:
Late Spring/Early Summer

Foliage:
Deciduous

Other details:
Drought-tolerant; suitable for xeriscaping
Provides winter interest
Suitable for growing in containers

Soil pH requirements:
5.6 to 6.0 (acidic)
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)

Patent Information:
Patented

Propagation Methods:
From seed; sow indoors before last frost

Seed Collecting:
Allow unblemished fruit to ripen; clean and dry seeds

Click thumbnail
to view:

By Badseed
Thumbnail #1 of Poncirus trifoliata by Badseed

By mgarr
Thumbnail #2 of Poncirus trifoliata by mgarr

By Thom228
Thumbnail #3 of Poncirus trifoliata by Thom228

By Thom228
Thumbnail #4 of Poncirus trifoliata by Thom228

By growin
Thumbnail #5 of Poncirus trifoliata by growin

By Laaz
Thumbnail #6 of Poncirus trifoliata by Laaz

By jnana
Thumbnail #7 of Poncirus trifoliata by jnana

There are a total of 10 photos.
Click here to view them all!

Profile:

4 positives
3 neutrals
No negatives

Gardeners' Notes:

RatingAuthorComment
Positive Phrederica_VA On Dec 13, 2008, Phrederica_VA from Montpelier, VA wrote:

I have the species plant, not the cultivar 'Flying Dragon'. I have 3 trees that are 15 feet tall or so, and this year produced about 6 five-gallon buckets full of mini-oranges! Yes, they are edible. We made kind of a lemonade out of them one year. It tasted kind of like lemon and kind of like grapefruit. The only problem is the peels are kind of gummy and make your knife and cutting board VERY difficult to clean. I love these trees, and get many compliments on them. The foliage is beautiful, and they look pretty amazing covered with oranges way up in Virginia!

Neutral Acemoose On Nov 17, 2008, Acemoose from Arlington, VA wrote:

So this is an orange fruit plant that has thorns....?

Several years ago I planted GRAPEFRUIT seeds and the resulting trees grew to be about 3 feet tall (they eventually died -- the pots were on my windowsill). The stems and leaves were greeen and glossy.

BOTH trees had LOOONG thorns -- I've been to Florida a number of times and have NEVER seen a grapefruit tree with thorns-- so, in my case, what happened with my grapefruit trees -- were they related to this thorny orange tree, or did they have recessive grapefruit genes???

Neutral agronomist On Nov 17, 2008, agronomist from West Point, NY wrote:

I planted a hedge of the Hardy Orange about twenty years ago and for the first decade kept it sheared at about four feet high. My mistake was that I missed a couple shearings and it has become so intertwined it's nearly impossible to cut without getting stabbed in the process. This plant could truely stop a vehicle from penetrating a boundary line, if that was your intent. Incidentally, the fruit is great for holiday decorations and the mild citrus scent given off when brought in the home is real plus. Also, these fruit self seed very easily.


Positive Silphion On Nov 18, 2005, Silphion from Portland, OR (Zone 8b) wrote:

Could there be a better plant for Citrus buffs with an eye for the bizarre? A cold hardy orange who's contorted form comes true to seed (even the thorns are curved) and also has spectacular fall color (here in OR Z8b I get bold reds and yellows) If the standard Poncirus is too intimidating for you this twisted little dwarf might be just right! As yet, I have had no problems with them.

Positive Badseed On Jan 19, 2005, Badseed from Lynchburg, OH (Zone 6a) wrote:

Although a slow grower for me, it is a really neat plant. Just be careful of those thorns!

This plant is very often used as the root stock to keep other citrus plants smaller.

Neutral tcfromky On Oct 26, 2004, tcfromky from Mercer, PA (Zone 5a) wrote:

This plant is not poisonous. In fact, juice can be made from the fruits - be sure to add sweetener and some extra water. Thorns are long and curved and the branches tend to grow in a corkscrew habit. Fruits are very aromatic. Great in zones 6 - 9.

Positive stricksgirl On Oct 21, 2003, stricksgirl wrote:

I found one of these growing behind my fenceline. I live in northern Georgia and was a bit surprised to find what I thought was a wild orange growing in my woods. It has huge thorns. The fruit appears to grow on branches which have no leaves or have lost their leaves. Branches with leaves have no fruit and have smaller thorns that the fruited branches. I cut one of the fruits and found lemon like pulp and seeds. The aroma made me want to eat it! It smelled very citrusy and sweet. It has a soft fuzz on the rind, somewhat like a peach. I have no idea where it came from, but I think there may have been one of these growing in the yard of a neighbor when I was in my early teens (more than 20 years ago!). I have done a web search and found several articles on this plant. Some say it is used in oriental medicine and others say it is poisonous.

Regional...

This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:

Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Camden, Arkansas
Citrus Heights, California
Oakland, California
San Jose, California (2 reports)
Wilmington, Delaware
Lawrenceville, Georgia
Chicago, Illinois
Indianapolis, Indiana
Crestwood, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Lafayette, Louisiana
Ventress, Louisiana
South Bristol, Maine
Stevensville, Maryland
Westford, Massachusetts
Waynesboro, Mississippi
Scotch Plains, New Jersey
Bronx, New York
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Henderson, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina (2 reports)
Cincinnati, Ohio
Lynchburg, Ohio
Portland, Oregon
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
Fountain Inn, South Carolina
Hartsville, South Carolina
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
North Charleston, South Carolina
Trenton, South Carolina
Ardmore, Tennessee
Hendersonville, Tennessee
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Austin, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Houston, Texas
Palestine, Texas
Spring, Texas (2 reports)
Afton, Virginia
Hanover, Virginia
Montpelier, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia



We recommend Firefox
Overwhelmed? There's a lot to see here. Try starting at our homepage.

[ Home | About | Advertise | Mission | Acceptable Use Policy | Tour | Privacy Policy | Contact Us ]

Back to the top

Copyright © 2000-2009 Dave's Garden. All Rights Reserved.
 

NameMedia Home and Gardens
Share on FacebookShare on Stumbleupon

Hope for America