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Citrus x aurantium L.
Sour Orange
Not native to Florida
Typically a small tree found around coastal shell middens and hammocks of the Florida peninsula north into Duval and Suwannee Counties, plus Jackson, Gadsden & Leon Counties. Also found in Georgia and Texas.
Usually mot reaching over 6m (~20 ft.) tall, sour orange trees frequently have spines along the twigs. The alternate leaves are simple and almost always having a distinctive winged petiole at least on some leaves. The leaf blade is elliptic to ovate 5.5-12cm (up to 4-3/4 in.) long and 3-10cm (1-3/16 to 4 in.) wide. Crushed leaves have a camphor-like odor. The flowers appear in clusters arising from the leaf axils and have four to eight white petals. Flowers of Citrus x aurantium are at least 2.5cm (1 in.) wide The fruit is like a commercial orange except with a bitter taste. Sour oranges are orange to reddish-orange, 6-9cm (2-1/3 to 3-1/2 in.) in diameter with a rough surface.
Citrus x aurantium is believed to be a hybrid of the pomelo, Citrus maxima, and the mandarin orange, Citrus reticulata.
Some of the photos above are of a plant that was vochered at the USF Herbarium by John Kunzer. This specimen can be seen at https://cdn.plantatlas.org/img/specimens/USF/240379.jpg
Citrus x aurantium is a member of the Rutaceae - Citrus family.
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Mar 16, 2024
