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You are bidding on 15 JAPANESE BITTER ORANGE SEEDS ( HARDY ORANGE ) - Poncirus trifoliata.

Known as the Japanese Bitter Orange, Trifoliate Orange or Hardy orange , this is the hardiest close relative of Citrus. 

A native of China and Korea, it is a deciduous shrub armed with vicious spines and will survive temperatures as low as –20C. It grows satisfactorily in the UK producing small, yellow and slightly furry ‘oranges’ which are unpalatable due to the presence of a bitter oil called Ponciridin. 

This small tree or bush contains large vicious thorns and green stems  .  It typically grows 8-15' (less frequently to 20') tall. Three-lobed (trifoliate as per the species name) leaves emerge yellowish-green in spring, turn glossy dark green in summer and fade to yellow in autumn. Spiny, dark green stems. ( I am growing these now for seed and even a small 6" plant has 1/2" spines .)

Flower: White, 5 petals, 1 to 2 inches across and very fragrant, appearing in spring.

Fruit: Yellowish orange, 1 to 1 1/2 inches across, fuzzy and very sour, numerous seeds, ripen in late summer.

Zone: 5 to 9

Bloom Time: April to May

Sun: Full sun

Medicinal use: The thorns are used in the treatment of toothache. The stem bark is used in the treatment of colds. The fruits contain a number of medically active constituents including flavonoids, coumarins, monoterpenes and alkaloids. The fruit, with the endocarp and seeds removed, is carminative, deobstruent and expectorant. It is used in the treatment of dyspepsia, constipation and abdominal distension, stuffy sensation in the chest, prolapse of the uterus, rectum and stomach. 
Edible parts of Bitter Orange: Fruit - cooked. A bitter and acrid flavor, but it can be used to make a marmalade. The fruit is also used to make a refreshing drink. The freshly picked fruit yields little juice but if stored for 2 weeks it will yield about 20% juice, which is rich in vitamin C. Yields of up to 14 kilos of fruit per plant have been achieved in America. The fruit is 2 - 3 cm wide, though most of this is the skin. The fruit peel can be used as a flavoring. Young leaves - cooked.

Edible parts : 

Fruit - cooked. A bitter and acrid flavor, but it can be used to make a marmalade. The fruit is also used to make a refreshing drink. The freshly picked fruit yields little juice but if stored for 2 weeks it will yield about 20% juice, which is rich in vitamin C. Yields of up to 14 kilos of fruit per plant have been achieved in America. The fruit is 2 - 3 cm wide, though most of this is the skin. The fruit peel can be used as a flavoring. Young leaves - cooked.

Other uses : 

Used as a root stock for Citrus species (oranges, lemons etc). It confers an extra 3°C resistance to the cold. The plant is very thorny and makes an excellent impenetrable barrier or hedge, though this barrier is not very dense. The plants are very tolerant of pruning, they are best clipped in early summer shortly after flowering.


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