some pictures of the Ichang papeda growing at the Hoyt Arboretum, in Portland, Oregon. pictures taken November 3, 2020 The tree is huge, it appears to be 10 feet tall now, definitely at least 9. The yellow fruits appear to be about 1.25 inches in diameter now, and are moderately fragrant in the rain. You can't see it in the picture but there are a few spikes on the main trunk that look big enough to kill a person. The biggest main branches and trunks have few spikes but the spikes that are there are very big. The tree is growing up against the side of the visitor center.
Ichang papeda is actually in the Citrus genus. Of course it's pretty unusual for a citrus species to be able to survive outside this far north, but Ichang papeda is the second most cold tolerant citrus species (after Poncirus trifoliata). Ichang papeda can be hybridized with other citrus species, like kumquat, pomelo, mandarins and oranges. Apparently, it seems, Ichang papeda fruits will contain very few seeds, unless it is pollinated by another citrus variety (that is, not genetically identical to it). I had to go through about 3 or 4 fruits before I was able to find one with a viable seed inside it. Anyway, the fruits of Ichang papeda are much more edible than those of Poncirus trifoliata. Ichang papeda taste / flavor They don't have that horrible taste of Poncirus trifoliata. It has a flavor somewhere between lemon and Kaffir lime. It's also believed Yuzu descended from Ichang papeda, and if you ever had the opportunity to taste and compare the two side by side I believe a person would be able to notice something special about their flavor that they share in common (although Yuzu has a much more orange/mandarin aspect to its flavor). Incidentally, Yuzu is also an unusually cold tolerant citrus variety, and can be grown unprotected in Portland.
