Leng navel orange

Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck

CRC 3808
PI 362330
VI 353

Source

Received as budwood from Australia, via Glen Dale & CCPP, 1973.

Parentage/origins

Parents unknown.

Rootstocks of accession

Carrizo citrange, C-35 citrange

Season of ripeness at Riverside

December to January

Notes and observations

EMN, 1985: Original import had tristeza which was eliminated by thermotherapy during processing as a foreign import. This navel is probably the best of all in fruit quality other than size. It has very smooth, thin rind, good but not exceptional rind color, high juice content, finely textured flesh, is seedless like a navel should be, has excellent flavor; mid-season. Its problem which probably rules it out for commercial use appears to be low production and small-sized fruit.

Description from The Citrus Industry Vol. 1 (1967)

"Fruit medium-small to medium in size, globose; navel uniformly small though well developed; seedless. Color bright orange. Rind medium-thin to medium and finely pebbled. Flesh well-colored; texture medium; juicy; flavor only fair. Very early in maturity (a week or ten days earlier than Washington), but fruit holds well on tree without loss of quality.

Tree indistinguishable from Washington but fruit more susceptible to splitting and sometimes undesirably small. A regular but moderate bearer.

In comparison with Washington, fruit of the Leng variety reaches maturity slightly earlier, has a smoother, thinner rind, and is smaller, juicier, and poorer in flavor.

This Australian variety originated as a limb sport of Washington in the orchard of A. D. Leng at Irymple, near Mildura, New South Wales, and first came to notice in 1935. It is currently popular in the Murray River districts of New South Wales and Victoria and in South Australia."