Sicily

Synonyms

Bearss, Sicile (sec. Cottin 2002); Sicilian (sec. NPGS/GRIN 2010)

Cultivar or taxon

Citrus x limon (L.) Osbeck, pro sp. (sensu Mabberley 1997, Bayer et al. 2009); Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. [=Citrus x limon (L.) Osbeck, pro sp.] (sensu Swingle and Reece 1967)

Origin

The Chiefland Budwood Facility (2010) provided the following notes under Bearss (clone SPB-341): "Entered into budwood program in 1966 from the Coca Cola Hodgeston grove at Indian Town. The Minute Maid trees were established from budwood from the original Bearss trees at Lutz, FL....Origin: Seedling near Lutz, Florida 1952 (Sicily)."

Description

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 short; wings absent. Leaflets one, margin crenate/crenulate or bluntly toothed, shade leaflet blades flat or weakly conduplicate, sun leaflet blades weakly or strongly conduplicate. Scent of crushed leaflets freshly lemon-like. Fruit as broad as long or longer than broad; rind green-yellow (6), yellow (7-10), or yellow-orange (11); rind texture slightly rough (4-5) or medium rough (6-7); firmness leathery; navel absent; flesh yellow; taste sour.

The Chiefland Budwood Facility (2010) provided the following additional notes under Bearss (clone SPB-341): "Similar to Lisbon, vigorous, less thorny than normal, 1-6 seeds, scab susceptible, peel oil 14.12+ lbs/ton. Season: July-December, summer bearing."

Notes

The Chiefland Budwood Facility (2010) provided the following notes under Bearss (clone SPB-341): "Bearss is the major lemon selection grown in Florida."

References

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.

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.

Mabberley, D.J. 1997. A classification for edible Citrus (Rutaceae). Telopea 7: 167–172.

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