The citrangequat is a

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

of a

citrange The citrange (a portmanteau of ''citrus'' and ''orange'') is a citrus hybrid of the sweet orange and the trifoliate orange. The purpose of this cross was to attempt to create a cold hardy citrus tree (which is the nature of a trifoliate), with d ...

and a

kumquat Kumquats (; zh, 金桔), or cumquats in Australian English, are a group of small fruit-bearing trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae. Their taxonomy is disputed. They were previously classified as forming the now-historical genus ''For ...

, developed by

Walter Swingle Walter Tennyson Swingle (January 8, 1871 – January 19, 1952) was an American agricultural botanist who contributed greatly to the classification and taxonomy of citrus. Biography Swingle was born in Canaan, Pennsylvania, and moved with his ...

Eustis, Florida Eustis is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 23,189 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. Eustis High School is the town's local public high sc ...

, in 1909. Citrangequats are

bitter Bitter may refer to: Common uses * Resentment, negative emotion or attitude, similar to being jaded, cynical or otherwise negatively affected by experience * Bitter (taste), one of the five basic tastes Books * '' Bitter (novel)'', a 2022 nove ...

in taste, but are considered edible by some at the peak of their maturity. Three named

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s exist: *'Sinton' – Nagami kumquat ('' Fortunella margarita'') x Rusk citrange; named for the city of

Sinton, Texas Sinton is a city in and the county seat of San Patricio County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,665 at the 2010 census. It was founded in 1886 and was named in honor of David Sinton, a influential business owner and rancher. Geograph ...

*'Telfair' – Nagami kumquat x Willits citrange; named for

Telfair County, Georgia Telfair County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 16,500. The largest city and county seat is McRae-Helena. In 2009, researchers from the Fernbank Museum of Nat ...

*'Thomasville' – most common citrangequat; named for the city of

Thomasville, Georgia Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,413 at the 2010 United States Census, making it the second largest city in southwest Georgia after Albany. The city deems itself the "City of Roses" an ...

. 'Thomasville' is considered the most cold-hardy edible citrus variety. It can tolerate temperatures down to −15 °C (5 °F).Cold Hardy Citrus and Hybrids
''Limette'' (Newsletter Citrus Friends Europe) 8: 1–2.

References

Oranges (fruit) Citrus hybrids Food and drink introduced in 1909 Kumquats {{Fruit-stub