Nanchuangcheng, Taiwanica (sec. Cottin 2002)
Citrus x aurantium L., pro sp. [Sour Orange Group] (sensu Mabberley 2004, Bayer et al. 2009); Citrus aurantium L. hybrid (sec. Swingle and Reece 1967); Citrus taiwanica Tanaka & Y. Shimada (sec. Hodgson 1967; sensu Tanaka sec. Cottin 2002)
Hodgson (1967) noted that: "Thought to have originated in the Nanshô district of Taiwan (Formosa), where it has no economic importance, the Nanshôdaidai is included here because of its promise as a substitute for sour orange rootstock in California."
Crown compact or dense, not weeping. First-year twig surface glabrous; second- or third-year twig surface striate; thorns straight; prickles absent or not persistent. Petiole glabrous, length medium; wings narrow or medium, adjoining the blade. Leaflets one, margin entire (by misinterpretation), crenate/crenulate or bluntly toothed, shade leaflet blades weakly conduplicate, sun leaflet blades weakly conduplicate. Scent of crushed leaflets spicy, peppery, or somewhat to strongly malodorous when crushed. Fruit broader than long; rind green-yellow (6), yellow (7-10), yellow-orange (11), or orange (12); rind texture slightly rough (4-5) or medium rough (6-7); firmness leathery; navel absent; flesh orange or yellow; taste sour.
Hodgson (1967) provided the following additional notes on the cultivar:
"Fruit medium-large, obovate; broadly necked and narrowly collared; seedy. Rind medium-thick but easily peeled; somewhat pebbled; prominent sunken oil glands; color lemon-yellow. Sections 10 to 12 and axis open. Flesh color dull yellow; juicy; acid flavor with bitter aftertaste. Seeds large, slimy, with wrinkled seed coat, and polyembryonic.
Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, and very thorny. Foliage consists of medium-large, somewhat slender, light green, sharp-pointed, strongly winged leaves, the oil of which is suggestive of bitter orange."
Bayer, R.J., D.J. Mabberley, C. Morton, C.H. Miller, I.K. Sharma, B.E. Pfeil, S. Rich, R. Hitchcock, and S. Sykes. 2009. A molecular phylogeny of the orange subfamily (Rutaceae: Aurantioideae) using nine cpDNA sequences. American Journal of Botany 96: 668–685.
Cottin, R. 2002. Citrus of the World: A citrus directory. Version 2.0. France: SRA INRA-CIRAD.
Hodgson, R.W. 1967. Horticultural varieties of Citrus. In: Reuther, W., H.J. Webber, and L.D. Batchelor (eds.). The Citrus industry, rev. University of California Press. http://lib.ucr.edu/agnic/webber/Vol1/Chapter4.html.
Mabberley, D.J. 2004. Citrus (Rutaceae): A review of recent advances in etymology, systematics and medical applications. Blumea 49: 481–498.
Swingle, W.T. and P.C. Reece. 1967. The botany of Citrus and its wild relatives. In: Reuther, W., H.J. Webber, and L.D. Batchelor (eds.). The Citrus industry. Ed. 2. Vol. I. University of California, Riverside. http://lib.ucr.edu/agnic/webber/Vol1/Chapter3.html.
Search for this cultivar in NCBI Entrez
Additional information on this cultivar at University of California: Riverside Citrus Variety Collection