Description
Description
Ichang papeda (Citrus aurantium subsp ichangensis) is a wild Citrus native to central China. It is very rare in cultivation, and most gardeners who know it as ‘the interesting part of yuzu’ (the other parent being a mandarin). Ichang papeda are the hardiest evergreen wild Citrus, and can handle approximately -8 degrees Celsius frosts. It is also known as Citrus cavaleriei.
Ichang papeda has a beautiful double leaf and so they look very pretty just like makrut lime, except with far more cold tolerance.
As a fruit, they have a flavour that is unique, but it could be described as being similar to lemon and grapefruit together, but not quite the same. They are sour, and so can be used as a lemon would, and they can be candied or used for marmalade.
Ichang papeda are monoembryonic and highly homozygous. Many of the seedlings will be very similar to the parent variety (from self-pollination), however many will also be hybridized with e.g oranges and mandarins (planted nearby to the parent tree). The seedlings from these seeds are likely to be extremely interesting, perhaps 20-50% could be special hybrids. The possibility that the ‘next yuzu’ comes out of these seeds is high. See our article on Nucellar embryony for further explanation.
Also note these seeds are extremely large, the largest of any Citrus I’ve ever seen.
Seeds per packet: 10
Germination Instructions
Upon receipt of these Citrus seeds, either:
- 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.
- 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.
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