Scarlet Emperor mandarin

Citrus reticulata Blanco

CRC 3226
PI 539505

Source

Received as budwood from Ted Frolich, UCLA, 1960.

Parentage/origins

Parents unknown.

Rootstocks of accession

Carrizo citrange, C-35 citrange

Season of ripeness at Riverside

October to November

Notes and observations

Originally from Australia--T. Frolich. Budwood received at CRC from Frolich is from a seedling tree. Seed came from a Scarlet Emperor old line mandarin with a PI #139198--JAB.

EMN, 3/1987: Medium size fruit, medium orange rind with dark orange blush. Very puffy, peels & sections well, somewhat raggy, moderately seedy, flavor fair to good, sweet.

Description from The Citrus Industry Vol. 1 (1967)

"Scarlet is an old Australian variety no longer grown commercially. It produces a medium-sized, seedy, reddish-orange fruit of early midseason maturity that puffs excessively, and keeps poorly. The tree is productive. Emperor fruit are large, oblate; base usually with short furrowed neck; apex flattened or slightly depressed. Rind medium-thin, firm but fairly loosely adherent; surface moderately smooth; color yellowish-orange to pale orange. Segments 9 to 10, readily separable; axis hollow. Flesh color light orange; tender and juicy; flavor pleasant. Seeds moderately numerous, long-pointed, and polyembryonic. Early midseason in maturity. Loses quality rapidly if stored on tree much past maturity.

Tree moderately vigorous, medium-sized, upright, broad-spreading, virtually thornless, and productive.

This very old variety in Australia is thought to have originated there as a seedling from fruit imported from the Orient. R. J. Benton, former government citrus specialist in New South Wales, has stated that Emperor is very similar to if not identical with Oneco of Florida and Ponkan of China. Of interest is the fact that this variety is still grown in seedling orchards in the Paterson River district of coastal New South Wales, where the trees markedly resemble those in the seedling districts of Coorg and Assam in India. According to Bowman (1956), Emperor is probably the leading mandarin variety in Australia. It is also grown to a limited extent in South Africa and northwest India.

Late Emperor is said to have originated as a limb sport of Emperor and the South African Empress variety is reported to be a chance seedling of Emperor."