A NEW TANGELO 



The Origin of a Fink-Fleshed Citrus Fruit by Hybridization 



Walter T. Swinglp: and T. Ralph Robinson 

 Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture 



AMONG the fruit;i crosses made 

 at Eustis, Florida, in 1908 was 

 one in which pollen of the Samp- 

 son Tangelo^ was used to pollinate 

 flowers of a seedling grapefruit of good 

 quality. This cross was made by Mr. 

 F. W. Savage, plant breeder, acting 

 under the direction of the senior author. 



From the grapefruit resulting from 

 this cross, sixty seeds were obtained. 

 Two of the resulting seedlings have 

 fruited out at Eustis showing hybrid 

 character with no points of especial 

 promise. To distinguish this hybrid 

 from the first cross of tangerine and 

 grapefruit, the combination is desig- 

 nated a "tangelolo" (from "tangelo" 

 and pomelo), but popularly this fruit 

 should be classed with the tangelos. 

 The freeze of 1917 destroyed most of 

 the original seedlings and buds of this 

 hybrid at Eustis, but one bud (Crop 

 Physiology and Breeding No. 47,220) 

 which was inserted in March 1914 on 

 an old sour orange tree, and which 

 survived, bore fruit during the season 

 of 1918. The first fruits were picked 

 November 6 and sent in to Washingotn 

 for examination. About four dozen 

 fruits were borne on one branch the 

 first season, four years from time of 

 budding. 



In general appearance, size, shape 

 and character of rind, the fruits 

 resemble the pollen parent (the Samp- 

 son tangelo) but on cutting the fruit, 

 it appears to be a rather remarkable 

 hybrid. The color of the pulp, or 

 rather of the lining membrane and 

 partition walls, is a reddish pink 

 (Ridgeway, Peach Red, Plate I b 

 5,00-R, in some fruits Corinthian Red). 

 This color often shows in small blotches 

 through the rind itself. 



The pulp vesicles, when removed 

 from the fruit, are seen not to be 

 colored, though on cutting the fruit 

 this is not at first realized. The pulp 

 is of grapefruit character, with large 

 vesicles and of pale orange yellow color 

 (Ridgeways, Plate HI, f 17.0-Y.), and 

 it is V3y juicy. Moreover, this fruit 

 was sweet and apparently mature when 

 first cut on November 6, 1918, a 

 decided departure from the character 

 of both parents as to time of maturity 

 and relative sweetness. In 1919, only 

 a few fruits were borne, and they were 

 much later in maturing. A remarkable 

 feature is the absence from the rind of 

 any bitter principle or pungent oil, 

 the rind itself being very mild and 

 edible. With this character of rind, 

 and the highly attractive color of tha 

 pulp this fruit would lend itself 

 especially to the preparation of candied 

 sections, rind and all being preserved in 

 this form. 



INFLUENCE OF POLLEN PARENT 



The strong influence of the pollen 

 parent is seen not only in the shape, 

 size and exterior appearance of the 

 fruit, but in the foliage characters. 

 Like the Sampson tangelo, the leaves 

 are broad and rounded, rather than 

 tapering at the apex, and slightly 

 constricted, giving a characteristic 

 drawn appearance; the petioles are 

 narrow, in which respect they are more 

 like the orange than the grapefruit. 



Figure 3 will give an idea of the 

 character of this new fruit. While 

 generally nearly round, the fruits vary 

 somewhat in shape, some being 

 slightly tapering at the stem end. The 

 shape and size is influenced by its 

 position on the bearing twig — whether 



' The Sampson tangelo is itself a hybrid resulting from using pollen of the Dancy tangerine on 

 grapefruit, and is a semi-loose-skinned fruit combining qualities of both parents in some degree — 

 color of pulp and rind suggesting the tangerine, but the pulp being more like grapefruit in high 

 flavor and acidity. It is a late maturing fruit, usually ripening from February to April. 



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