This trade is being withdrawn. It looks like there is some difference of opinion about hardiness depending on which website you view. That is why I said "It is supposed to grow outside in USDA zone 5" rather than say it IS hardy in zone 5. I hope GW members will always investigate hardiness and other claims before trading because the Internet may not always be 100% accurate. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poncirus http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=E790 http://www.greenbeampro.com/content/view/1479/45/ http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=POTR4

Chills: Funny, we seem to have parallel interests with these plants. About 10 years ago, I did a trade with someone in Alabama, sent her some divisions of some of my native woodland plants for a box of ripe trifoliate orange fruit, because I really wanted to see what they were like. I found them most palatable. They were about the size of a small tangerine, and were quite seedy. The rind was bitter, but not any more so, IMO, than that of a grapefruit. Juice was quite sour but definitely citrus juice and very useable. I tried making a very small batch of marmelaide (spelling ???) by seperating the juice/pulp, and putting back just the zest of the peel, with the white pithy part, which contains the bitter substances, removed. It turned out just fine, or at least decent, to the best of my recollection. So, my conclusion is, if I could grow them, I could eat them. I have a big one, about six feet tall, in a pot. I've had it for probably six or 7 years now, but NEVER any sign of a flower bud. It winters indoors, though, and summers outside. Makes a very dramatic looking houseplant when bare of leaves in the winter, but also VERY painful to move around. The thorns are vicious. Dennis West Bloomfield

I've sent you mail with my mailing info. I'd really like to have some. Thanks. Margaret

Congratulations - I know just how you feel! Here in England, the cooler summers mean that Poncirus grow much more slowly, but they are perfectly hardy outdoors. I have two mature 20 year old plants that took about 12 years to flower. I also have many potted seedlings. These are about 12 years old but nowhere near as tall as yours. Two of them have set fruits for the first time this year. It seems to me that the Trifoliate orange is both parthenocarpic and self-fertile. Parthenocarpic means that it will develop and set fruit without any pollination. Quite often in England fruits are totally seedless. I can only think this is due to cool, damp weather at flowering time, because I have never seen seedless fruits in warmer climates. Self-fertile because I have found seedy fruits that are nowhere near any other Trifoliate or citrus plant. If you do ever get seeds, you should try growing a few seedlings outside. With a little initial protection, they should be hardy in your part of the US. You may be interested in my website pages about this species:- Here is a link that might be useful: Trifoliate Orange