Citrus trifoliata, Poncirus trifoliata, Trifoliate Orange, Hardy Orange, Japanese Bitter Orange, Chinese Bitter Orange.

Citrus trifoliata, Poncirus trifoliata, Trifoliate Orange, Hardy Orange, Japanese Bitter Orange, Chinese Bitter Orange. From 1838 until 2009, the naturalized spiny "hardy orange" was known as Poncirus trifoliata, but in 2009, genetic data showed it belongs in the genus Citrus and is now called Citrus trifoliata. Introduced to Western horticulture from China and Japan in the eighteenth century, this hardy citrus is armed with formidable spines, and when planted close together, makes an impenetrable fence. The small, round hairy fruits produce viable seeds so will spread on their own. The fruits are so incredibly bitter, or as one author described them in the 1830s "ungrateful to the taste," they make lemons taste sweet.

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