Verna sweet orange

Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck

CRC 3807
PI 244968

Source

Received as budwood from Spain, via Glen Dale & CCPP, 1961.

Parentage/origins

Original PI 244968 received as budwood; fruited in CCPP Rubidoux screenhouse. Seed from screenhouse fruit planted and 6 individual seedling budlines planted at Lindcove. This accession is one of those 6 seedling budlines.

Rootstocks of accession

Carrizo citrange, C-35 citrange

Season of ripeness at Riverside

October to December

Notes and observations

EMN, 3/1987: Elongate orange, few seeds, still tart.

EMN, 2/10/1988: Appears identical with Berna, CRC 3272, except that this accession has better rind color this season. Also much resembles Pera, CRC 3864, and could be its twin.

Description from The Citrus Industry Vol. 1 (1967)

"Fruit medium-small, oval to ellipsoid; base commonly with faint radial furrows; apex slightly depressed; seeds few or none. Well-colored at full maturity, but regreens thereafter. Rind medium-thick, firm; surface finely pebbled. Flesh well-colored; moderately juicy; flavor sweet. Fruit holds especially well on tree with good quality and ships well. Late in maturity, but earlier than Calabrese of Italy and Valencia.

Tree slow-growing, compact, medium-small in size, and slow to bear but productive. Somewhat inclined to out-of-season flowering and production of worthless off-season fruits. Usually has a few long and narrow leaves.

This distinctive variety is of Spanish origin but is grown also in Morocco and Algeria. It is one of the latest maturing of all Mediterranean varieties and holds on the trees as well as Valencia or better but is smaller and of poorer quality.

Several clones of the Verna are recognized, one of which is characterized by greater tree vigor and round fruit of higher juice content. A selection named Alberola is said to be of superior quality. A highly similar, if not identical, variety is Peret."