I grew some from seeds last summer (07). The plants were small (3-4 inches) when fall came. I allowed them to be covered with leaves and they made it through the winter without even losing their leaves.

I moved one, and bought a new one, and I think I lost one (to just getting buried and shaded out). My tallest this year is the new one (a foot tall) and the other one is probably still only about 4 inches tall (Its not in a great place, shady but next to the foundation, now. Last winter it was about 12 feet from the house).

I'd like to see these do something too. I have no illusions about the edibility of the fruit, but as a novelty it would be worthwhile.

~Chills

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

These are an invasive weedy shrub around here. There are some small impenetrable colonies in the woods on my property, but they only seem to grow here as an understory shrub, never out in the open for some reason. My neighbor has a huge area of these that have spread throughout the woods. The fruits barely ripen here, so even if hardy, getting ripe fruit further north may be limiting. I would consider them famine food at best.

They do have ornamental value, particularly the Flying Dragon selection, and have fragrant blossoms in spring. Further north, there is probably little risk of it becomming invasive. Further south, these things can be horribly invasive.

Now that Kiwinut reported these in the area, I just know I'm going to start finding them everywhere. At least that's how it usually works. But so far, I have never seen one of these in the wild anywhere in Tennessee. I do notice that they have recently been added to the GA and AL EPPC lists.

Kiwi, what part of Tn to you live in?

Northwest Davidson County.

I know a guy who had P.trifoliata growing and fruiting in Cincinnati.
There was one on the campus of the community college, across the street from my office, planted around 1970. It fruited heavily every year I'd been aware of its presence(10 years or so). The Easter Big Freeze Disaster of 2007 killed it - at least back to the ground. I was by there one day last week, and the grounds crew had planted something new in its spot - but the mulch bed and surrounding area for a good 12-15 ft diameter circle around its previous location are a virtual 'lawn' of mown trifoliate seedlings.

We have four pretty large (5'-6') fruiting shrubs at the arboretum. They are in full sun, but just outside a wooded area. No seedlings noticed so far. Next time I am out there though, I'm going to look for evidence of mowed seedlings.

will it be invasive, potentially, in NJ/PA/NY? USDA range maps indicate introduction in portions of eastern PA, but who knows to what extent.