SPECIAL USES. House plant, miniature gardens, artificial light.
Citrus Rutaceae
These are true miniature citrus trees, varieties that are naturally dwarf, or grow so slowly they’ll flower and fruit in smallish pots indoors.
aurantifolia—lime—Spiny little tree with small leaves, small tartly acid, thin-skinned, green fruit. The Persian lime is a variety called “one of the most beautiful of all citrus trees.”
limonia ‘ponderosa’—ponderosa lemon—Oblong, glassy, evergreen leaves; stiff sharp spines; large waxy, fragrant flowers; heavy (to two and a half pounds) pear-shaped (to five inches long) lemons at intervals through the year, beginning when the tree may not be much more than a foot tall. Supposedly, one lemon “gives enough juice to make a pie.”
mitis—calamondin—Bushy little tree, not prickly, dense with glassy green leaves; flowers fragrant, small and white. May bear fruit all year but usually in winter it produces bright oranges, about one and a half inches in diameter, thin-skinned and somewhat flattened on the end. The lime-like flavor of the juice is reportedly pleasant, but my tree looked so pretty I didn’t pick the fruit. A calamondin can, and often will, fruit in a two-and-a-half-inch pot—a mighty midget.
nobilis deliciosa—tangerine, mandarin orange—Small, nearly thornless tree with willowy leaves; sweet fruit, with loose skin that peels off like a kid glove and segments that separate freely.
taitensis—otaheite orange—Neat little bush for pots, with plenty of two-inch, wavy-edged leaves, few if any spines, and fragrant pink-tinged flowers in January. By Christmas, even if the tree is only eight inches high, the oranges are ripe. They are the size of a plum, shaped like a lemon, tartly flavored like a lime.
CARE. Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, loamy soil, bright sun, keep on the dry side. For fruit, pollinate. Humidity, not too much fertilizer, not too much water. Sudden temperature changes causes leaves to drop.
PROPAGATION. Seeds, grafting, cuttings (for pot varieties).