I don't have a tremendous amount of experience with mandarins, but a neighbor gave me a ponkan to try. As soon as I finished it, I washed my hands, grabbed my car keys, and went and bought a ponkan tree.
It's THAT good!

Ponkan is my favorite too. I can peel and eat them while I am driving and they don't make a mess. Great for snacking. They are not a juice orange.

Christine

I have four trees in the mandarin family: Robinson and Dancy tangerines and Satsuma and Murcott mandarins. I put them in four years ago and only the Robinson and Dancy have borne heavily so far (I picked all the buds off the first two seasons). I got the four varieties specifically because the Satsuma was supposed to be the earliest of the possible choices to fruit (Sep-Nov), The Robinson is supposed to be (Oct-Dec), the Dancy (Nov-Jan), and the Murcott (Jan-Mar). The Robinson and Dancy are right on schedule. What fruit the Satsuma has had so far (about a dozen each in two years) was in the same timeframe as the Robinson, but I've read that young trees often don't have their normal seasons. Also I had to cut it back heavily at the end of 2007 because it had a really sprawling growth pattern and the long limbs were being pulled to the ground by the fruit. The 2008 crop was likely affected by that (but it *was* much better supported). The Murcott's growth is lagging way behind the rest, largely because of its location (too much shade), and has only set about five fruit over the past two years.

Of the taste, the few I've gotten from the Murcott were absolutely wonderful -- surpassing all three others. The Dancy is the easiest to peel, has fewer seeds than the Robinson, and a better taste. The Satsuma peels easier than the Robinson and less easy than the Dancy. It's sweeter than either, but I think I prefer the taste of the Dancy over it.

Of them all, I'd have to say that the Dancy and the Murcott are my favorites. In the end, though, my real goal was to have fresh tangerines/mandarins available over a six month period. Mind you, my wife (the *real* tangerine fanatic in the family) tried Clementines (Nov-Jan)for the first time this past season and has requested I add one. I've also long considered adding a Ponkan (Jan-Mar) as I've heard they are excellent eating. I'll probably do it as soon as I figure out where the heck to shoehorn in two more trees...

Depends on where you live michael .
Satsumas are the easiest to peel - nicknamed " zipper tangerines " in the past . The skin is thick and bumpy .
I have two Satsuma trees. They tend to be more bushy than tree like .
My trees are 15-16 years old and medium size . Fruit is just OK .
These trees are quite cold hardy .

I also have a Dancy tangerine .
This is a tall , thin limbed upward reaching tree as opposed to the droopy limbs of the Satsuma .
The Dancy is half of the Honeybell variety . The Dancy gives the Honeybell it's bell-like shape and bright orange color . The Dancy in my grove has a wonderful flavor , medium amount of seeds and very thin skin .
The top half of these trees were sheared off from the Hurricanes of 2004 - about 8 feet lost . They were heavily affected by this season's freezes . The fruit became frozen solid . Heavy leaf drop . One tree is completely dead and the other - limping along .

Size of your planting area and cold temps . can determine what to purchase .

Read up on what is required for general citrus care . It can be a lot of work . The citrus Forum on GW is mostly about container plants written by people who garden in the small number zones like 4 or 5 - not that helpful if you have trees in the ground in Florida .
Check with UF - IFAS for the best research info .

I really haven't found too much information about the Ponkan variety but it seems to be a favorite with you all. I will have to search some more.

Dancy was my first choice as it seems to be more widely distributed.

I'm located in Apopka, and we did get hit with the freezes this year too, so that would also be a consideration on my choice.

Where I grew up I had a neighbor lady who was in her 80's who had a couple of tangerine trees in her side yard that my friends and I used to "snitch" from secretly. After getting caught we came to a mutual arrangement that benefited all of us. (We really were good kids 8-9 yrs old) We left the lower tangerines for her to make jams with and we got to have the ones higher up to snack on. Course I helped harvest some of the higher ones for her and got rewarded with Tangerine jam. Those were the best Tangerines, I just wish I knew which kind they were. I've gone by the old neighborhood recently and the trees are still flourishing.

Michael

Another consideration is that some need a cross pollinator to set fruit. So do your research if you only want to plant one tree.

My favorite is Ponkan.

I have a Page orange, which isn't really an orange. It's a cross between a Minneola tangelo and a Clementine mandarin, I think. That makes it three-fourths mandarin and one-fourth grapefruit. The fruit is smallish, but they are extremely juicy and sweet. Although I've had a lot of things damaged by the frosts, this tree did fine and is covered with flowers right now. According to Lisa the Fruit Tree Queen it does not need a pollinizer.

I searched for a Page for a couple years before finding it mixed in with other citrus at Lowes 3 years ago.

Kate

Hi Kate
I will keep my eyes open for your Page orange, it sounds like a winner for me!

Swilly

I have lived in Florida since 1939 which is almost all my life. I started looking for a tangerine tree to buy and plant. I never knew there were so many varieties. Does Ponkan need cross polinazation? Where can I buy them? My wife is crazed for tangerines.