Knights citron – Citrus medica

Description

Description

Knights citron (Citrus medica) is a rare citron variety from Australia, but even there it’s not available anywhere. It seems to fruit well in Australia, but other than that there is no further information available at present, unfortunately.

Citrons are a wild species of Citrus, one of the ancestors of the lemon. There are very few citron varieties in New Zealand, and probably only 1-3 commercially available varieties (Buddha’s hand, some Etrog varieties). Citrons are generally cultivated for their edible pith, which is usually mildly sweet and crunchy. The pith is ideal for candying or marmalade and is full of healthy phytonutrients. Increasing the citron diversity in New Zealand is the main reason to grow this variety.

Citrons are highly monoembryonic, however they are also highly homozygous and cleistogamous – so all seedlings will be very similar (but not identical to) to the parent variety. As a result, each seedling will be a new variety. See our article on Nucellar embryony for further explanation.

Seeds per packet: 20

Germination Instructions

Upon receipt of these Citrus seeds, either

1. Soak them in water for a few days until they swell. After soaking for a few days (with a few water changes), plant the seeds directly into a seed raising mix, and keep warm, and they will sprout after 2-3 weeks.
2. Direct sow into seed raising mix, misting regularly for about a week to ensure the seeds are well hydrated. Keep warm, and they will sprout after 2-3 weeks.

These seeds were treated with Thiram fungicide (bright green) before export, so make sure to wash your hands after touching them.