Iyo

Synonyms

Iokan, Iyo Mikan (sec. Cottin 2002); Iyomikan (sec. Hodgson 1967)

Cultivar or taxon

Citrus iyo hort. ex Tanaka (sensu Hodgson 1967; sensu Tanaka sec. Cottin 2002); sec. NPGS/GRIN (2010) believed to be: Citrus reticulata Blanco X Citrus x aurantium L., pro sp. [Sweet Orange Group] (sensu Mabberley 2004) = Citrus reticulata Blanco x Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck (sensu Swingle and Reece 1967)

Origin

Hodgson (1967) noted that: "The Iyo is believed by Tanaka (1954) to be a natural tangor and was found about 1883 by M. Nakamura in Obu-gun, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. First described as Anado mikan in 1892, it was early introduced into Ehime (formerly Iyo) Prefecture, where it was widely planted and came to be known as Iyo. While attractive in appearance and of good flavor, it loses quality rapidly in storage and on the tree. As a result, it has been little planted in recent years. Currently, its culture is limited largely to the vicinity of the city of Matsuyama."

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; wings absent, if present, narrow, adjoining the blade. Leaflets one, margin entire, crenate/crenulate or bluntly toothed, shade leaflet blades weakly conduplicate, sun leaflet blades weakly conduplicate. Scent of crushed leaflets mandarin-like. Fruit broader than long; rind yellow (7-10), yellow-orange (11), orange (12), or red-orange (13); rind texture slightly rough (4-5); firmness leathery; navel absent; flesh orange; taste acidic-sweet.

Hodgson (1967) provided the following additional notes on the cultivar:

"Fruit medium-sized, subglobose to broadly obovoid; apical end shallowly depressed. Rind thick, lightly pitted, tender, and easily separable; deep orange-colored. Medium seed content (some with pale green cotyledons). Central column broadly open and segments about 10. Flesh orange-colored; tender, very juicy, sweet; flavor rich and pleasant. Midseason in maturity.

Tree vigorous."

References

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.

Tanaka, T. 1954. Species problem in Citrus (Revisio aurantiacearum IX). Japanese Society for Promotion of Science, Ueno. 152 pp.

Resources

Search for this cultivar in NCBI Entrez or NCBI Nucleotide