PlantFiles: Calamondin Orange, Panama Orange, Calamansi
X Citrofortunella mitis

My calamondin is about 15 months old, in a container, so I can keep it inside through a North Carolina winter. Most of the growth I've gotten has been in the spring and fall - warm days, but cool (not cold) nights. A stretch of very hot afternoons brought growth to a near standstill during the peak of summer; when temps fell into the 70s and 80s, I got an almost immediate flush of new growth. Very lush foliage - it's a very handsome, shrubby plant.

These delicious little fruits make a marmalade to die for.

I first purchased this as a small potted plant 10 years ago. It was flowering and fruiting when I bought it, even though it was only 12 inches high. It is now three and a half feet high, in a 16 inch pot, and covered with about 50 fruits and just as many blossoms. I use any regular potting soil, even putting all leaves and rotted fruit back into the pot. I feed only twice a year. I drag the pot outdoors for three seasons a year, finding that it can shrug off a slight frost. In the winter, it sits near an East window, getting no direct sunlight at all and does just fine. It seems to blossom most in the fall, right after I bring the pot indoors, and all fruit that has been hanging green for months quickly ripens indoors. Last winter I had a bout of aphids which were quickly eaten by a ladybug which I revived from its' winter- windowsill nap. The fruits are extremely tart but perfect in a pot of tea with honey. Guests are always amazed by this little tree. "The Joy Of Cooking" cookbook has several recipes using this fruit. I have been so happy with this tree that I have bought two other miniature citrus trees, a tangerine and a Meyer lemon.

I am so thrilled that I can grow oranges in New York! I purchased this three years ago at a gift shop on my drive home from Tampa. I really didnt think that I would have luck with it, but thought it was worth the eight bucks to try!

The first year, it stayed small and didn't blossom at all. The second year, it grew a little in height and blossomed, but the tiny baby fruits all fell off. The third year, it grew slightly, blossomed and the fruits actually stayed. Maybe not alot (I believe I had 7). The fruits took forever to ripen. I ended up making pompadour's with them (pushing whole cloves through the skin and drying them out) and giving them for Xmas presents to family and friends. I was too afraid to try eating one not believing it would be very sweet having been grown in NY.

It is still only about 2 feet tall, but it has baby oranges all over it right now. Perhaps I will actually try to eat one this year.

I have had no problems with pests. I overwinter this plant in the house by a south facing sliding door.

Given room to grow in a good sized pot in the
southern side of our home, this little tree has been
an absolutely wonderful and problem free pleasure
to grow.

As I type this, it is absolutely covered in blossoms;
which in case you didn't know, emit a scent worthy
of comparison to the finest perfume. It is simply
intoxicating!

While the oranges themselves are rather tart, we find
it a treat to harvest the little fruits and squeeze them
into our iced tea.

Bring it indoors during winter and you'll be pleased to
see the fruits coming quickly.

Love it!

Fruit tree rare in cultivation, from Asia and the Philippines. Looks like tangerine, but more acid tasting (reportedly). Peels easily and has thin, deep orange skin.

We sell a lot of citrus all over, especially in the north. Calamondin (and kumquat) is one of our most popular. When someone orders a lime tree I try and steer them towards calamondin because they are excellent to use in place of limes. I use it on seafood, drinks and even martinis. They grow wonderfully in containers and hold the fruit a very long time. This past spring, well into May there were orange fruits on many of the trees. No doubt the bloom scent is awesome and I even moved one into the bathroom.

AS for soil… It’s hard for someone in a northern rural town to find a large selection of soil mixes. Many are using Miracle Gro’s Cactus mix with good results.

We pull back on the water some in the winter even on container citrus. It makes the fruit sweeter and juicier. We don’t stop watering; we just cut back and let it dry in-between. Don’t cut back on water during flowering.

AS for the guy with 15 year old trees that won’t flower… some citrus grows from seed true to parent but some don’t. I wouldn’t grow any fruit, nut or citrus that was grafted or air layered. For one I don’t know what I might end up with and I’d hate waiting 6 years to find out the tree isn’t going to produce. Grafted trees produce fruit A LOT sooner.

Tamara

Positive: Nice little orange tree. When it flowers, the whole tree is covered with little fragrant white flowers which are replaced by oranges later.

Negative: It outgrows the pot quickly though and will need to be repotted or the plant will tilt over. Also, the oranges take a long time to ripen.

Calamondin is the result of a rare natural cross between 2 (two) closely related genera, the CITRUS and the FORTUNELLA. And it carries the characteristics of both the parents.

The Fortunella parent, Kumquat, lends a dense shrubby habitat, small leaves and a hardy constitution, whereas the Citrus reticulata, Mandarin Orange, lends thorns, tasty fruit and ease of peeling. So the Calamondin has small, easy to peel fruit with acid flavor.

Calamondin grows well in truly tropical areas through to those with very occasional mild frosts. With its upright habit, dark glossy foliage and multitude of small brightly colored fruits the Calamondin makes a fine ornamental and is well suited to growing in containers.

My favorite citrus fruit! Of course, I like them tart! Calamondins are very easy to grow in central Florida, and fruit abundantly most of the year. The fruits can be used just like you would limes or key limes. The calamondin is actually an intergeneric hybrid between the tangerine and the kumquat, but really tastes and smells more like a key lime with tangerine essence. Substitute (peel and all) for part of the lime in margaritas, use to marinade or baste grilled chicken and pork.

My trees have been in the ground two years and are 12 feet tall, and produce hundreds of fruit already.