Sanguinelli could fit the tart/sweet description.Maybe someone graft a branch or two on it?

the rind seems to be a bit thicker on the blood fruit.

are there any more like that? cross pollination with a nearby blood orange tree maybe?

I sure as heck don't know, but what I do know is that is one fine looking tree Pat! Good for you! I would love to visit your mini citrus grove for sure and have you pour me a fresh glass of cool lemonade:-)

Mike

Well, the previous owners would not have known how to graft anything, so I don't think that is a possibility. It does remind me of a Sanguinelli, since it is only partially pigmented. However, my Sanguinelli is in the front yard, and very new - couldn't have cross pollinated, at least, not from my Sanguinelli. Don't think my neighbor has a blood orange, either. They seem to have more standard citrus in their yard. And yes, I thought the same exact thing about the rind - definitely a bit thicker. I'm so mad I didn't make a not of the branch I plucked the first fruit from. Believe me, I will be marking each branch from now on as I pick the fruit, so I can identify the branch these fruits are coming from. And Mike, thanks for the compliment. This poor little tree was in such bad shape I could not recognize what it was. In fact, the previous owners, who could not tell me what type of citrus it was suggested I just cut it down if I wanted. Felt pretty bad for the little tree, so I've been nursing it back to health to try to figure out what it is. And yes, I'd have a nice big pitcher of Meyer lemonade waiting for you :-)

Patty S.

Cross pollination would only effect the seeds. So either it's a multi grafted tree or you have a mutated branch.

reversethong, is correct. The red colored fruit shown in the above picture has absolutely nothing to do with cross pollination. With the presence of the other citrus trees on houserquilt's property, I'm sure every bloom on the tree is being cross pollinated. Cross pollinated, or not, the fruit will not be affected in the least. As reversethong wrote above, a seed could possibly become cross pollinated and an F1 hybrid seed developed, but even then due to citrus's nucelar ability, the chance that the F1 hybrid (zygote) seed surving is extremely slim. This is because nucelar seeds almost always crowd out the zygote (hybrid) resulting in its death. Since housierquilt does not know the tree's history it is difficult to ascertain the truth.

Yup, know that about cross pollination, just didn't want to make houston feel bad for the suggestion :-) (I'm a Master Gardener for what that's worth.) No chance of a grafted branch - the previous owners didn't have that gardening knowledge, nor is this a "cocktail" tree either - no graft unions at the main leader and side branches, so this pretty much leaves a sport branch, which is how we get so many of the very neat varieties! I'm going to tag the branch when I pick each fruit and hope, hope that I have another fruit from the branch. There isn't a lot of fruit set on this little tree, yet, as it is still recovering from a near-death experience, lol! Next year, though, will definitely give me more of this sport fruit, so I'll be grafting some budwood next year for sure!

Patty S.

Planting the seed from the red fruit, would take many years to produce additional trees. Budwood would work fine, but would greatly limit the number of trees that could be propagated from a single branch. Removing the buds at each node, with the exception of the blind buds, and T-budding them onto the tree, or better yet, onto individual root stocks will provide many trees rather quickly. This method would create many many mature red fruited trees in a hurry. Who knows, you might become the next Juanita Barrineau.

I am hoping I can identify the mystery branch, silica. I'll cut some budwood and graft to rootstock and see if I can get several trees going IF I can figure out the "magic" branch :-) I belong to the CRFG in my area (N. San Diego county), so I'll have plenty of grafting help. I'm a novice, but there are many grafting experts in our group.

Patty S.

Sorry, but I just can't believe that the pigmented fruit came from the same tree. It looks so different in shape and rind colour that I'm sure you would have noticed it immediately. You say "my Sanguinelli is in the front yard". I feel sure that somehow you have confused the fruits from the two trees.

No, citrange. First, the Sanguinelli is very small, and has not produced any fruit, yet. I just planted it about 2 months ago :-) Secondly, I would clearly have known if I picked something on my front slope, which is about 50 to 100 yards away, and a fence separating that area from my back yard, lol!! So no. No chance of that. I picked it from the tree I had assumed was a Palestine Lime, came in, and cut it in half and was pretty surprised to say the least. I then thought maybe I had just guessed wrong about the tree, and went out and picked a few more fruit, and those were definitely Palestine Limes - sweet, sub-acid, and insipid. So, hopefully, I can figure out what branch I plucked the first fruit from, and tag it. I'll graft from the branch to see if I can develop a few trees from it to see how they do, and how I like this odd sport fruit.

Patty S.