In 2002 I attempted to cross a Faustrimedin with a Pummelo. There were several problems,
described here , but by the summer of 2003 I had ten reasonably healthy seedlings. The long wait then began. Several people asked me about the seedlings, but there was little to report - except steady growth. In UK conditions citrus seedlings often take around 12 years to flower and fruit. However, in summer 2008 a couple of the seedlings formed a few flowers which promptly fell off. This was good news, and now, late April 2009, I have two of the seedlings in full bloom! Just seven years from seed is really quite fast! |
Why Faustrimedin X Pummelo? Well, the Faustrimedin (or it could possibly have been a Faustrime) was the largest fruiting plant in my collection which was close in shape to a Fingerlime - and the Australian Fingerlime was my special interest. The Pummelo is the citrus species with the largest fruit of all and produces seeds through pollination. So the hybridisation seemed technically possible, and the idea of a large, cucumber-shaped citrus fruit appealed to me! But the taste of a Faustrimedin is fairly awful, so I had no illusions that this was likely to produce a delicious result. |
This is seedling 10, now about 4ft (1.3m) tall. The fragrant flowers are about 1" (2.5cms) across. Some have three petals, some four and some are partly 'doubles' with two layers of petals. |
Fruitlets at this stage appear almost spherical. |
page will be updated as the fruits grow |
This is seedling 7 - again about 4' (1.3m) tall. All the flowers on this plant have three petals, but the fruitlets show a distinct trend towards the fingerlime shape. |
page created 26th April 2009 |