Bloomsweet Grapefruit: Bloodsweet is a white grapefruit with yellow skin that is shaped like a large pear. You peel and eat it like a tangerine. The Bloomsweet originated in Japan and was probably a Kinkoji then somehow made its way to Texas. It was grown in San Leon, Texas, by a Mr. Bloom until his death many years ago. He called the grapefruit Bloomsweet. This is my wife's favorite grapefruit because she could take these to work and not have to worry about spooning out the segments. The seeds come true.
Easy peeling Bloomsweet Grapefruit
Chandler Pummelo: This is the largest citrus that I grow. It is best eaten with the juice cells separated from the membrane (click on Chandler link above on how to do it). It needs to be picked and eaten in November for best flavor. The seeds do not come true.
This Chandler weighed almost 5 lbs.
Changshou Kumquat: The Changshou Kumquat has a larger and thicker sweet skin than Miewa Kumquat. It can be tart inside if picked too early. You can eat the whole thing - skin and all.
Cluster of my Fairchilds
Page Mandarin: A cross between Clementine and Minneola tangelo, page is very similiar to Fairchild in flavor. The fruit is smaller and slightly less seedy than Fairchild. When pollenated it is a heavy producer.
Golden Grapefruit: The Golden grapefruit may not be a true grapefruit, and it has less acid than a normal grapefruit. It does have a beautiful golden internal color. It can be seedy, but when planted, the seeds come true.
Golden grapefruit next to a Rio Red grapefruit
Meyer Lemon: The Meyer Lemon sometimes is called the Texas Lemon or the Valley Lemon. This lemon is less tart than an ordinary store lemon and slightly larger. It can also be used like an ordinary lemon for lemonade or for a lemon pie.
Miewa Kumquat: The Miewa kumkquat is the size of a marble and very sweet. You can eat the whole thing, skin and all.
Monreal Clementine: The Monreal Clementine is probably the sweetest and easiest to peel in the tangerine family. The seeds do not come true.
Nagami Kumquat: The Nagami kumquat is a breakfast-sized sausage looking kumquat that has a sweet skin and is tart inside. It is good for jellies only.
Panzarella Cluster Lemon: The Panzarella Cluster Lemon is a lemon tree that sprang up in my compost pile. They are very large and juicy. The lemon can grow into 10 lb clusters.
My Panzarella Lemons
Panzarella Orange: The Panzarella is an orange tree that came up in my compost pile. Its size is as large as a grapefruit and real juicy, but it also has lots of seeds. The seeds do not come true. Its mother may have been ujukitsu.
My Panzarella Oranges
Rio Red Grapefruit: The Rio Red grapefruit is the most popular Texas valley grapefruit with a red color, few seeds, and very sweet flavor. The commercial growers are phasing out the Star Grapefruit and replacing with the Rio Red Grapefruit. (See picture next to the Golden grapefruit above.)
Rio Star Grapefruit: There is no such thing as a Rio Star Grapefruit. What the commercial growers are doing in the Texas Valley is mixing their Star Grapefruit with the newer variety Rio Red Grapefruit and calling them Rio Star Grapefruit since both are red and are hard to tell apart.
Sunquat: The Sunquat is a cross between a Meyer Lemon and a Kumquat. Slice thin and eat the whole thing. Sometimes they are tart, but it is much sweeter than a Meyer Lemon.
Ujukitsu sweet lemon: The Ujukitsu is a rare sweet lemon from Japan. It is shaped like a small Bloomsweet grapefruit. It is a yellow pear-shaped fruit. Peel and eat like a tangerine. No need to add sugar to this lemon! The seeds do not come true. This fruit is sometimes called a cross between an orange and a lemon. This is not correct.
Wekiwa tangelo: Wekiwa tangelo is a cross between a grapefruit (probably Duncan) and a Sampson tangelo (¾ grapefruit , ¼ Dancy tangerine). It has a pink internal coloring and is sweet. It really should be called a tangelolo. To me it has no bitter grapefruit taste and is very good.
Chapman hybrid: Bill chapman crossed a satsuma with Fairchild tangerine. The fruit is nice shaped, sweet, and looks somewhat like a Fairchild. It is late ripening- late Jan. to early Feb. time frame.
Hirado Buntan Pummelo: There is some confusion on this variety. In the Citrus Industry Vol. 1 the flesh is described a being a light greenish-yellow color. In Florida it is described as being pink or red fleshed. The Florida version may not be a true Hirado Buntan, but Ogami which is described as growing in Florida and red fleshed in the same book. I have not tasted a Florida Hirado, but the Florida people describe it as the best tasting of all pummelos.
Sarawak Pummelo: This is one of the sweetest pummelos I have eaten. It is white fleshed and a little more juicy than Chandler.
For more detailed descriptions about citrus.
Look for more citrus descriptions in the future.