Wilking

Synonyms

None

Cultivar or taxon

Citrus reticulata Blanco (sensu Swingle and Reece 1967, Mabberley 1997, 2004; sensu Tanaka sensu Cottin 2002); Citrus nobilis Lour. x C. deliciosa Ten. (sec. NPGS/GRIN 2010)

Origin

Hodgson (1967) noted that: "A sister to Kinnow, both resulting from a cross of King X Willowleaf (Mediterranean) made in 1915 by H. B. Frost (1935) of the University of California Citrus Research Center, Riverside, this richly flavored variety has been widely distributed, but with minor exceptions has not achieved commercial importance. Wilking is reported to have done well commercially, however, in the Souss Valley of Morocco and is considered promising in Brazil."

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 medium; wings narrow, adjoining the blade. Leaflets one, margin bluntly toothed, shade leaflet blades weakly conduplicate, sun leaflet blades weakly or strongly 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; flesh orange; taste acidic-sweet.

 

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

 

"Fruit small to medium in size, slightly oblate; base flattened and somewhat furrowed; apex flattened or moderately depressed. Rind medium-thin, somewhat brittle, somewhat adherent but readily peelable; surface slightly pebbled, glossy.; orange-colored at maturity. Segments 9 to 12, firm but separating easily; axis semi-hollow. Flesh color deep orange; very juicy; flavor rich, sprightly, aromatic, and distinctive. Seeds moderately numerous, monoembryonic , and cotyledons greenish-yellow to yellow-tinged. Midseason in maturity (about like Kinnow). Retains quality and stores well on tree but with some puffing.

 

Tree moderately vigorous, medium in size, round-topped, nearly thornless; leaves long, broadly lanceolate, and taper-pointed. Strong tendency to alternate bearing with small fruits in the on-crop seasons and little or no fruits in the off-crop years. Cold-resistant."

References

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

Frost, H.B. 1935. Four new citrus varieties—the Kara, Kinnow and Wilking mandarins and the Trovita orange. California Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 597:14 pp.

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

Mabberley, D.J. 2004. Citrus (Rutaceae): A review of recent advances 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