Earlier this year I got a Thomasville citrangquat from @Stanthecitrusman. Up until now it hasn’t flushed much new growth, as it’s been putting energy into all the little fruits it set (I ended up thinning them. Kumquat parentage showing there for sure) but recently it’s been growing a lot.
What’s fun to see is the leaf morphology. Slow growing new growth is thornless and monofoliate. But when it grows quickly and puts on juvenile growth, the leaves are bifoliate or trifoliate, but fused, not like regular trifoliate hybrids, and there are some thorns. Funny little plant, and a heavy producer for sure.
I believe it’s fully zone 8 hardy, or at least 8b. Not sure myself as it’s my first year growing it. The fruits are usually used as a lime substitute. So far, they smell great, looking forward to trying them in a few months.
I’ve only seen that kind of “fused” tri-/bi-foliate leaves (mittens?) on Prague, and had assumed it was because of the way the genes smashed together in the chimera. Interesting to see that Thomasville does something similar and is a hybrid instead.
Found some older pictures from that seedling, and yeah, the leaves aren’t “fused,” they are individually attached to the petioles. Weird. Wonder is any other citrus besides Prague and Thomasville do that.
Ah-ha! Memory did serve me right. The Dunstan seedling does have some fused leaves. It’s also got normal ones. And rounded ones. And just about everything else. This is a weird plant.
Come to think of it, my “Trifoliate Satsuma,” which may be a chimera or may be a hybrid, so far does not show any fused leaves. But it’s only got like six leaves in total and just refuses to grow, so who knows with that one…
At least you didnt buy it from me. I have one growing with two fruit on it. Its not a race horse either… I dont think it has put on any new growth this entire summer. It has been mighty dry here other than the tropical storm… maybe thats whats going on with the growth. I will let you know how they taste when mine ripens!
