Fremont

Synonyms

C54-3-1 (sec. Cottin 2002)

Cultivar or taxon

Citrus reticulata Blanco (sensu Hodgson 1967, Swingle and Reece 1967, Mabberley 1997, 2004; sensu Tanaka sec. Cottin 2002)

Origin

Hodgson (1967) notes that: "Fremont is an attractive, high quality, early-ripening variety that originated from a Clementine X Ponkan cross made by P. C. Reece of the U.S. Department of Agriculture at the U.S. Horticultural Field Station, Orlando, Florida. It was first fruited at Brawley, California, selected by J. R. Furr (1964) of the U.S. Date and Citrus Station, Indio, California, and released in 1964. Fremont is recommended for the desert areas of California and Arizona."

The Chiefland Budwood Facility (2010) provided the following notes on the cultivar (clone DPI-833-49): "Collected from the USDA Whitmore Foundation Farm in 1978 for planting in the Florida Citrus Arboretum. An early-mid season California mandarin developed at the USDA station at Indio, CA, released 1964 (Clem x Ponkan)."

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 absent, if present, narrow, adjoining blade. Leaflets one, margin entire (by misinterpretation) or 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 medium in size, oblate in form; rind medium-thick and of moderate adherence (easily peelable); surface smooth; color bright reddish-orange. Flesh color deep orange; tender and juicy; flavor rich and sprightly. Seeds moderately numerous, small to medium, and about half of them monoembryonic. Early ripening (between Clementine and Dancy), but fruit retains quality exceptionally well past maturity.

Tree moderately vigorous, upright-growing, nearly thornless, precocious, and productive, but does not shade fruit sufficiently well to prevent some sunburn."

The Chiefland Budwood Facility (2010) provided the following notes on the cultivar (clone DPI-833-49): "Description: Flesh deep orange, moderate[ly] seedy, small fruit size, sunburn sensitive."

References

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.

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

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