Looks like a new variety, I’ve not seen anyone mention this before. Eremocitrus (Australian desert lime) x Shekwasha so, I guess, small, sour, and distinctive? Anyone know more about this thing?
According to GRIN, Shekwasha could refer to
| Species ID | Synonym ID | Name | Synonym of | Taxon Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10707 | Citrus ×depressa Hayata | Rutaceae | ||
| 102899 | 10778 | Citrus depressa Hayata var. vangasay (Bojer) H. Perrier | Citrus reticulata Blanco | Rutaceae |
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Thanks!
The parents seem reasonably clear enough then, it’s the child I’m still trying to gauge. I’m wonder if anyone has grown it yet, or if it’s a brand new cross.
I’m wondering if it is part of the effort to breed Citrus Greening Disease resistant rootstocks and fruitstocks.
Ok, I just learned that it’s actually a very old cross–going back to the 60s.
That being the case, I guess the motivation was just to try crossing eremocitrus, I don’t think many crosses had been made at that point. Seems like it could be worth playing around with though, since C glauca is one of the better sources for HLB resistance, and Shekwasa is either C reticulata or very closely related, which is helpful.
Might, maybe, have some cold tolerance as well. I’ve seen all kinds of numbers for both, but on average it looks like both parents can survive low twenties and perhaps even upper teens, with C. glauca being the slightly more hardy one.
Though, it would probably be a pain to breed. C. glauca has zygotic seedlings, but Shekwasa, and almost certainly this cross, is highly nucellar, like most mandarins. Typical citrus breeding problems.
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