Bula from sunny Fiji, I found this citrus on a hike in the hills behind Suva, Fiji. Put it in a bag of soil when about 6 inches tall and is growing fast. No one even at the university can help me ID it. Can anyone here help? Vinaka, Wayne
I think those wings on the petiole are most pronounced on grapefruits, so that's what I'd first suggest. Second, I've found that the citrus type can often be smelled from a crushed leaf. Pick a leaf you aren't crazy about, maybe a mechanically damaged one, and crush it. If it smells like grapefruit, that's another indicator. What types of citrus were growing in that area? While the seed could have come from many places, it's most likely from fruit in that area, unless it's a spot where people might sit and eat their lunches. Other than that, you might have to wait until it flowers and fruits.
Well well, I never knew that. What an interesting shaped leaf. Thanks thanrose. http://images.google.com/imgres?img...n-gb:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7SUNA_en-GB&sa=N&um=1
You're most welcome, Silver Surfer. I've certainly learned much from you here and elsewhere, so I'm happy to add a tidbit to your font. In a sense I've cheated by location. The famed Indian River of lauded grapefruit is just south of me. Of course, this could just be variability within the genus and species.
Thanks for the help guys. I was hoping it might be Citrus hystrix. I'm really hoping to find and get a few trees of this going in Fiji. Don't suppose any of you can help with providing contact details for a business that may be able to send a few seedlings to Fiji by air freight (including phytosanitary process)?
Interesting. If that's what it is, wouldn't you be able to smell it from the leaves? I've never grown it and never seen it growing, but know it's the leaves that are used in cooking. Your plant doesn't have the extreme wings on the petiole, but that could be due to youth or parentage. Could it be a cross?
The plant in the initial post is not Citrus hystrix. Pummelos have a bigger petiole so my guess would be grapefruit. You may want to ask a moderator to move this thread to the citrus forum.
