Curafora OE

[Florian]

First post on this forum.

I visited Eisenhut nursery in December 2018 and saw this specimen of Sanford Curafora and had to have one. I find its upright growth and big, lanceolate leaves very appealing.

This spring, I bought a small plant of Eisenhut's selection (I don't know how it differs from the normal Curafora). I received it with two fruit on it that did not seem to continue to ripen. Then, this week, we had a storm that tipped my potted plant over and the fruit came off. I noticed a small damaged spot oozing some sticky substance.

I opened the fruit and and tried it even though it was not ripe. It was rather easy to peel. Some segments were surprisingly tasty, just like a clementine while others were bland and dry. All of them had a rather thick, leathery segment walls..

Coldhardiness is probably not enough for my place and maturity is too late but it is a good-looking plant.

Does anybody have any experience with this one in ground?

Eisenhut's Curafora

[david]

I am looking to try this. I have no experience with it other than research into growing it. I read that it would be cold hardy for my area (zone9). I try to steer clear with fruit with poncirus prominent in its background...no poncirus taste is a commodity that is subjective to individual taste..and mine is very sharp. That being said I am game to get one in the ground to try it. Good pic and welcome to the forum

[ilya11]

My Curafora from B.Voss died after two years in the ground with minimal night temperatures around -10C

[Florian]

I did not notice any Poncirus influence.

Jul 28, 2019 11:14:24 GMT -5 ilya11 said:

My Curafora from B.Voss died after two years in the ground with minimal night temperatures around -10C

Thanks a lot, Ilya. Could it be used in crossings or is it not worth the effort, in your opinion? -10C would not be much hardier than a satsuma..

[ilya11]

I have  not tried Curafora since than, although it seems it exists in several forms, probably different seedlings of the original plant of Dr. Frey.

As I remember my plant gave small acid fruits with  a lot of bitterness. They began to turn yellow in November, but were damaged later by frost.

I believe that parents for the hardy citrus selection should be very early ripening varieties.

[kumin]

Ilya, I agree, the growers at the northern limits for cold hardy citrus need the hybrid fruit to ripen as early as Poncirus in order to avoid freeze damaged fruit. Many of Poncirus' characteristics will need to be expressed nearly fully to be successful. Among these qualities are: deciduousness, winter bud scales, early and persistent dormancy, early spring flowering, etc.

[zap]

I found a nursery with some early satsumas. Has anyone tried crossing Satsuma with Poncirus strains?
The satsumas are stuck on a loading dock in Dorians path, but Dorian has been parked on the Bahamas for at least two days. Two days of sustained 100 mph winds? They must be devastated.

I will share the address, Once I can confirm their product isn't a toothpick tree.
Keepin my fingers crossed.

[till]

I have Sanford Curafora in my glashouse. Before it was in the glashouse I had it in a pot. At -8°C it showed no leaf damage at all. Since it was my only plant I did not want to test it further. Bernhard Voss, a hardy Citrus specialist, writes it can withstand -12°C.
My plant looks exactly like that from Eisenhut. The plant in Bonn botanical garden looks also the same. Don't know for sure if that is the norm exemplar. But I think so. The description of the original breeder (or better discoveror) Dr. Frey from Swizerland fits these plants. I got his original letters from a friend and made copies for myself.
The fruits of my Sanford Curafora are tasty: Sweet, no bitterness, no Poncirus influence. But fruits do not ripe within one year. They reach the final size within one year but are still green then. The plant is evergreen. Leaves never turn yellow in autumn.

I have tried to cross polinate Sanford Curafora with Poncirus but was not successfull. It got some seeds, many of then deficient, all viable seeds monoembryonic. Seedlings were different not like the motherplant. I know from persons who managed to cross Sanford C. with Poncirus and got trifoliate offspring. So it is very probable that Sanford Curafora has not only monoembryonic but also zygotic seeds. It seems that it has inherited some degree at least of self incompartibility from its alleged Clementine parent. It tends to produce seedless fruits although it produces pollen abundantly.

[mikkel]

this is the strongest one of my Curafora x Batumi seedlings.

[ilya11]

How resistant is it?

[mikkel]

All seedlings grew poorly and many died within the first year. I only planted 4 seedlings outside last year. The lowest temperature was -6°C degrees for one week.
The plants were in a bad condition and leaves were not yet hardened, so the unripe leaves froze back. They are probably not particularly hardy. It might be different if they were grafted.

[till]

I tried to pollinate Poncirus with frozen pollen of Sanfrod Curafora last year. No zygotic seeds at all. Very disappointing. May be the fault of my Poncirus. I did create hybrids from frozen pollen of other varieties.
I agree wit Ilya that heading for hardiness means crossing hardy and early ripening varieties. But I would not exclude Sanford Curafora. Three considerations: 1. Sanford Curafora has inherited the habit that it first grows and then blooms on the new shoots (like mandarins). That means fruits have one month less time to ripen compared to plants that form winter flower buds and bloom before growing. F1 Poncirus hybrids produce winter flower buds as far as I see. That means a cross between Sanford Curafora and, say, a Citrange, would be likely to bloom one month earlier than Sanford C. and would have one month more time for the fruits to ripen. When I see my plant, the fruits are almost ripe in late autumn. So this one month may be crucial. 2. Sanford C. is a 50% (at least) Citrus hybrid but has a reasonable hardiness. When you cross it with something hardy the probability is high that those genes of Sanford C. are inherited that are responsible for hardiness and add to the hardiness of the crossing partner. 3. Sanford Curafora has a good taste and most likely zygotic seeds. We need hybrids with zygotic seeds and we need hybrids with good taste. Even if Sanford Curafora hybrids turn out to be nasty and sour we would know that they carry the genes for good taste and sweetness.

[Florian]

A lot of assumptions and wishful thinking probably. But I still like the plant and perhaps OE is hardier than the standard form? And even if not, I find the long, narrow leaves very attractive.

[till]

It is a beautiful tree for sure and flowers have a nice smell. It has plenty of flowers every year.

[till]

The first fruit of my Sanford Curafora this year.

ibb.co/mRJvKZ8

Fruit was easy to peel, not puffy, very jucy, as big as an average satsuma. Taste was mandarinlike, sour sweet, sourness dominating, with as much bitterness as a mild grapefruit. The bitterness was like that of a Grapefruit, not the kind known from Poncirus. Definitely no Poncirus influence in taste.
The fruit hang on the tree for two years. It was still green and not grown out last autumn. I do not remember a noteworthy bitterness or sourness from earlier harvests. The bitterness and sourness this year may have something to do with the cool summer this year and with the relatively shadowy position in which the tree stands. This should also be the reason why it took two years for ripening. Nonetheless everybody who likes Grapefruits would have liked the fruit.

A few deficient seeds were in the fruit.