Variegated Cara Cara navel orange (CRC 4282)

Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck

CRC 4282
VI 978
RRUT 194

Source

Received as budwood from a standard Cara Cara navel orange tree in the Citrus Variety Collection, 2006.

Parentage/origins

A bud mutation on a branch of a normal Cara Cara navel orange.

Rootstocks of accession

Carrizo citrange, C-35 citrange

Season of ripeness at Riverside

December to January

Notes and observations

During a visit in Sept, 2004 Jose Chaparro stated that all variegated ‘Cara Cara’ budsports had pigmented fruit. When skepticism was expressed, he demonstrated in the CVC by finding several variegated sports which all had pigmented fruit. Therefore, Ottillia ‘Toots’ Bier collected budwood from behind a pigmented fruit on a variegated twig and had Toni Siebert propagate two trees in the CVC GH 16-27. The trees were slow-growing but after a few years they fruited in the GH and had pink pigmented fruits. The following year it was decided to accession and plant them in the CVC.

RRUT 194 is a different variegated sport of 'Cara Cara' that originated from a tree in the NCGRCD screenhouse. Both RRUT 194 and RCRC 4207 have been planted in the field and fruited. They are very similar. Fruit on both accessions is (somewhat erratically) variegated with pink flesh. The internal color of the flesh seems to be a darker pink than the standard 'Cara Cara'. Size is small (typical of variegated accessions) and overall fruit quality does not appear to be high. The rind is thin and prone to splitting. Therefore, this is probably of interest mostly as a novelty or ornamental.

Dr. Tracy Kahn decided that she preferred RRUT 194. Therefore, CRC 4207 was inactivated and RRUT 194 was submitted to Citrus Clonal Protection Program to be sanitized for industry distribution.