Cleopatra

Synonyms

Billi Kichili, Chota, Cleo, Kilopatra, Kodai Kithuli, Kodaikithuli, Red Cleo, Spice (sec. Cottin 2002)

Cultivar or taxon

Citrus reticulata Blanco (sensu Mabberley 2004); Citrus reticulata Blanco var. austera Swingle (sensu Swingle and Reece 1967 sec. Cottin 2002); Citrus reshni hort. ex Tanaka (sec. Hodgson 1967; sensu Tanaka sec. Cottin 2002)

Origin

Hodgson (1967) noted that: "Considered to be native to India and said to have been introduced into Florida from Jamaica sometime prior to 1888, C. reshni is increasingly important as a rootstock in the United States and elsewhere. It is an attractive ornamental and bears fruit the year round."

The Citrus Budwood Facility (2010) provided the following notes on the cultivar (clone DPI-836-1): "Rootstock seedling tree planted at I-4 foundation at 47-4 in 1960, later a seedling from this source planted at the Arboretum 1-7."

Description

Crown compact or dense, not weeping. First-year twig surface glabrous; second- or third-year twig surface striate; thorns absent or not persistent; prickles absent or not persistent. Petiole glabrous, length short or medium; wings narrow, adjoining the blade. Leaflets one, margin bluntly toothed, shade leaflet blades flat or weakly conduplicate, sun leaflet blades flat or weakly conduplicate. Scent of crushed leaflets mandarin-like. Fruit broader than long; rind yellow-orange (11), orange (12), or red-orange (13); rind texture slightly rough (4-5); firmness leathery; navel absent or present; flesh orange; taste acidic-sweet.

Hodgson (1967) provided the following additional notes on the cultivar: "This species is the chota or billi kichili of India and the Cleopatra mandarin of the United States. The tree is attractive, round-topped, symmetrical, and thornless, with small, dark-green leaves. The fruit is orange-red, small, oblate, and highly depressed at the apex, with thin, somewhat rough rind. The flesh texture is soft and juicy and the flavor is somewhat acid. Seeds are small, polyembryonic, and have green cotyledons."

References

Cottin, R. 2002. Citrus of the World: A citrus directory. Version 2.0. France: SRA INRA-CIRAD.

Chiefland Budwood Facility. 2010. 2010 Annual report July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010. Bureau of Citrus Budwood Registration, Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Winter Haven.

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.

Resources

Search for this cultivar in NCBI Entrez, NCBI Nucleotide, or NCBI Expressed Sequence Tags