Other Names:  Seville Orange, Sour Orange, Canaliculata Orange

Description:

Attractive deep green foliage on a rounded habit with no thorns; intensely fragrant flowers produce wrinkled and ridged orange fruit that is very bitter; the juice and fruit are used for preserves, or seasoning food and drink; protect from frost

Ornamental Features

Consolei Bitter Orange features showy clusters of fragrant white star-shaped flowers with buttery yellow eyes at the ends of the branches from late spring to mid summer. It has attractive dark green evergreen foliage. The oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. It features an abundance of magnificent orange berries with yellow overtones from early to late winter. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up.

This plant is primarily grown as an ornamental, but it's also valued for its edible qualities. The oval bitter fruit is most often used in the following ways:

• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Preserves

Landscape Attributes

Consolei Bitter Orange is a multi-stemmed evergreen tree with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Consolei Bitter Orange is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Consolei Bitter Orange will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Consolei Bitter Orange is a fine choice for the yard, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.