Osceola

Synonyms

None

Cultivar or taxon

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

Origin

Hodgson (1967) noted that: "This exceptionally high-colored, early variety is a sister to Lee and Robinson, all three resulting from a Clementine mandarin-Orlando tangelo cross made by Gardner and Bellows of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Florida in 1942 and released in 1959 (Reece and Gardner 1959). Osceola is currently under commercial trial in Florida. It seems likely that it will respond to cross-pollination since both parent varieties are strongly self -incompatible and more fruitful when seedy."

Description

Crown compact or dense, not weeping. First-year twig surface glabrous; second- or third-year twig surface; thorns absent or not persistent; prickles absent or not persistent. Petiole glabrous, length medium; wings narrow, adjoining the blade. Leaflets one, margin crenate/crenulate or bluntly toothed, shade leaflet blades weakly conduplicate, sun leaflet blades weakly or strongly conduplicate. Scent of crushed leaflets mandarin-like. Fruit as broad as long or longer than broad; rind yellow (7-10), 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:

"Fruit medium in size, medium-oblate in form; base flattened and sometimes slightly corrugated; apex flattened or slightly depressed. Rind thin, leathery, moderately adherent but easily peelable; surface smooth and glossy; color deep orange to almost coral-red at maturity. Segments 10 to 11, easily separable; axis large and hollow. Flesh color deep orange; juicy; flavor rich and distinctive. Seeds numerous and cotyledons very pale green. Medium-early in maturity.

Tree not distinctive, virtually thornless, more upright than Clementine; dense foliage composed of medium-sized lanceolate leaves."

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. 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