14)+Citrus

=Citrus=

//Citrus spp.// Rutaceae ​

media type="file" key="citrusinfurii.mp3" width="240" height="20"
 * [[image:citrusplanto.jpg caption="Whole Plant"]] || [[image:citrusleaves.jpg caption="Leaves"]] ||
 * [[image:new_bark.jpg caption="Bark"]] || [[image:orangefruit.jpg caption="Fruit"]] ||

Classification:
Angiosperm Dicot Monoecious

Family characteristics:
The flowers are lonesome individuals or else they are in little batches. Generally the blossoms have five ashen white petals. According to wikipedia, they have “numerous...strongly scented… stamens.” Citrus fruit is considered a berry, filled with pulp and a leather exterior skin surrounding delicious meat. If you press these meat vesicle capsules and squeeze it real hard, it will produce runny juices. The citrus plant has quite a flavorable fragrant scent that floats through the air surrounding its trees. This is due to the flavonoids are well as limonoids in the rind skin. This plant is woody. The bark is smooth, auburn, and swirled textural patterns engrained on it. The leaves are alternate. It is a simple leaf and also serrulated with a cuneate leaf base and acuminate apice.

Size:
Standard Citrus trees grow on a general scale 18 feet to 25 feet tall taking about 10 to 15 years to fully mature.

Semi-Dwarf Trees customarily grow to be around two-thirds the size of standard Citrus trees in the 10 to 18 foot range.

Dwarf Citrus Trees are “grafted onto dwarfing rootstock (usually a type called ‘Flying Dragon’)” They can reach a mature size of 4 to 6 feet.

Identifying features:
à Flower: Citrus is not flowering in spring time. Most likely is a dwarf orange. à Leaf description: Size approximately 3 inches in length, bright green in color, top leaf part is waxy texture, and serrulated edges, alternating leaves, basil mini leaf at bottom of leaf. à Bark: Branches are bright green and thin and bendable. Sturdy base bark is light brown in color and easily scratches away. Plant is situated in a planter shared by rosemary and a fig tree in a nearby planter. The area besides the planters is concrete and bare. The planters add a nice pop of color and aroma.

Location/Habitat:
Grows best in temperate climates with lots of sun.

Hardiness Zone: 9b to 10a

Some diseases and pests that plague the citrus plant are Aphids, Citrus Cankers, and Root Rot to name a few. Aphids are little bugs whose population can swell very quickly and do serious damage to a citrus. They suck sap out of leaves and cause the leaves to drop and the branches to die back. Aphids can be controlled with insecticides which you spray on the visible feeding areas. Citrus Cankers are contagious bacterial infections that citrus plants get. They make yellow ring like scabs and lesions on all parts of the trees. In extreme cases they cause fruit to blemish and die or drop back and severe leaf loss. Many thing allow this infection to spread, ranging from insects, air currents, birds, and even humans! To fight this infections it is recommended to use a preventative treatment spray. Root Rot is a disease caused by a soil inhabiting fungus. Some symptoms are dark brownish patches of hard bark at the trunk as well as seeping ooze. This makes the bark crack off and die which then looks like a canker. It causes brown and yellow fruit and kills off the foliage. The disease lives in the soil and is most common during very wet seasons. The fungus spreads by water that is splashed on the tree. To control it all leaves and fruit that is damaged must be removed and then the tree must be sprayed with fungicide.
 * Disease/Pests **

Water/Sun Requirements:
Citrus plants flourish in full sun areas with western or southern sun exposure being optimal. Certain species of citrus don’t handle the cold very well, so some sort of shelter is important. They need soil that drains well such as sandy or clay soil.

Reproduction:
The majority of the pollination is done by insects although some develop by the very interesting process of parthenocarpy which means they develop without pollination. Basically if parthenocarpic flowers don’t become pollinated then they don’t produce seeds. Citrus flowers begin to bud in early winter and continue to grow and thrive on through late winter and early spring. Although the flowers are pleasing to the eye, most of them don’t result in forming fruit because they usually all fall off. Sufficient water throughout flowering is especially important.

Special Adaptations:
Another interesting fact is that most citrus can be left to hang on the tree without becoming overripe.

Sources:

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[] Created by: Gray Hales