Carney, Parson, Porter (sec. Cottin 2002)
Citrus x aurantium L., pro sp. X Citrus trifoliata L. (sensu Mabberley 1997, Zhang and Mabberley 2008, in part); Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck x Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. (sec. Cottin 2002)
Hodgson (1967) noted that: "Parson originated as a chance seedling in the dooryard of Rev. N. L. Brown near Webster, Florida, and is said to have been planted in 1856 (Ziegler and Wolfe 1961). The propagation rights were purchased about 1875 by J. L. Carney, who named it Parson Brown. Its outstanding earliness soon popularized this variety and it quickly became the leading early orange, a position held until about 1920. Parson still remains a major variety in Florida, however, though it has never achieved prominence elsewhere, principally because of seediness."
The Chiefland Budwood Facility (2010) provided the following notes on the cultivar (clone F-56-2): "Is a seedling selection that originated from closed pollinations made by Dr. Mort Cohen from the old citrus grove south of the Century Tower on the UF campus in 1955. Trees were grown at the old budwood grove at 1-4 and US-27....Origin: Florida, chance seedling in the dooryard of Rev. Brown near Webster."
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 flat or weakly conduplicate, sun leaflet blades weakly or strongly conduplicate. Scent of crushed leaflets sweetly orange-like. Fruit as broad as long or longer than broad; rind yellow (7-10), yellow-orange (11), or orange (12); rind texture slightly rough (4-5); firmness leathery; navel absent; flesh orange; taste acidic-sweet.
Hodgson (1967) provided the following additional information on the cultivar:
"Fruit medium-large, globose; base with short, radial furrows; areole indistinct; moderately seedy. Well-colored under favorable conditions. Rind medium-thick; surface finely pitted and moderately pebbled. Flesh color dull orange; firm, juicy; well-flavored. Very early in maturity, possibly the earliest.
Tree vigorous, large, and productive."
The Chiefland Budwood Facility (2010) provided the following additional notes on the cultivar (clone F-56-2): "Description: Rind moderately pebbled, 10-20 seeds, juice color poorer than Pineapple. Season: Early, October-January"
The Chiefland Budwood Facility (2010) provided the following notes on the cultivar (clone F-56-2): "This cultivar makes a vigorous tree with good yields."
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.
Zhang, D. and D.J. Mabberley. 2008. Citrus. In: Flora of China Editorial Committee (eds.). Flora of China, Vol. 11. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
Search for this cultivar in NCBI Entrez
Citrus ID Edition 2
October, 2011
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