October 31, 2018

"Flying Dragons" on Halloween

Autumn is the best time to see the fruits of the “Flying Dragon”, Poncirus trifoliata, and on this Halloween, they are quite abundant here at my Bedford, New York farm.

If you’ve never heard of it, Poncirus trifoliata is native to Northern China and the Korean Penisula, and was first introduced to the United States in 1915. Also known as the hardy orange, Japanese bitter-orange, and Chinese bitter orange, the Poncirus trifoliata is a type of slow-growing dwarf citrus tree-relative that is extremely disease-resistant. Its fruits are edible, but often unappealing because of its bitter taste. And since it is deciduous, meaning it sheds its leaves in winter, the thorny branches of the Poncirus trifoliata look like "dragons in flight". 

Enjoy these photos.