Citrus aurantium L.

ORIGIN DATA:

The Bizarria Sour Orange is a unique variety. Its origin seems clear, as Pietro Nati published in 1674 the article De malo limonia citrata aurantia vulgo la Bizzarria, in which he described a plant that looked like Sour Orange but had fruits with characteristics of both Sour Orange and Citron. The plant was apparently discovered in 1644 in the garden of the Villa Torre degli Agli, belonging to the Panciatichi marquises, near Florence (Italy). The chimera is described as being the result of the union of the tissues of a graft of Citron on Sour Orange. At that time, the Bizarria was described in the treatises of Ferrari, Bimbi, Volkamer, Gallesio and Risso & Poiteau, among others. After years without references, it was Paulo Galeotti, head gardener of the Villa Medici di Castello (Florence), who rediscovered it in the 1970s. Since then, there has been much confusion about the fate and diffusion of the Bizarria Sour Orange. At the Todolí Citrus Foundation we have plants supposedly derived from the plant recovered by Galeotti, some of which have purple leaves and purple flowers, as well as green leaves and white bud flowers. In addition, we have a plant with three types of fruits: similar to the Seville Orange, similar to Conrniculata Sour Orange and similar the Florence Citron. This plant is undergoing an extensive genetic study by Dr. Aleza’s research team at IVIA (Valencia, Spain).

TREE AND FRUIT DESCRIPTION:

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