Thanks all--I will get a close up of the leaf later this am. Kumquat is a thought that I had -- I had a kumquat tree in the front yard many years ago when I lived out west--but these are much larger and shaped differently than any kumquat I ever saw. And I don't remember if they were as tart - these really are like biting into a lemon. That description of the Meiwa does seem to match pretty closely--even a few of the pics, although most seem to still have that oval shape. I ate the peel rather inadvertently! It was so firm to the flesh and so thin that I couldn't tear it away -- once I found that it was tasty I just went with eating it instead of destroying the fruit trying to get it off. Oh, clementines are my favorite! I did get a sack of smaller than usual and more tart ones at Aldi this past winter -- hmmm. I don't think these could have stayed on the tree much longer to get sweeter--they are really quite soft--but I really have no idea.

Paul, First, always check Garden Watchdog BEFORE sending someone, you don't know, money for plants. Using that resource in conjunction with normal due diligence should help to insure that you're not likely to get ripped off in the first place. As for what you should do once you get "ripped off" (whatever that means in this particular case)...contact the nursery and try to be diplomatic; contact the owner if you don't get the desired response from your initial contact; if you still aren't satisfied with the resolution, add a comment on Garden Watchdog and maybe contact the Better Business Bureau. If you used a credit card to make the purchase, your credit card company should be able to help. You might want to contact them first. If your problem is with Willis Orchards, I'd be willing to bet that if you can get ahold of the owner, he'll try to make you happy if your expectations are reasonable. He even left his personal email address in one of the posts in the Fruit and Orchards Forum, but I don't know how to easily (quickly) find that post. I bet a little searching would turn it up though.

I think most of us would know better than to order from Willis in the first place, given their negative ratings on Garden Watchdog and various forums here on Gardenweb. But, it's kind of weird how all these new people are signing up just to post these messages here in multiple forums. Something seems a little fishy. I think there may be more to the story than meets the eye, and there may be more to the motives of these new forum participants than they claim.

In Southern California the polyphagous shot hole borer and Citrus Greening disease are poised to wreck havoc on the urban forest. Then there is the increasing human population density that is making lots very small and houses being built to the lot lines, eliminating space for trees.