Poncirus trifoliate 'Flying Dragon', also known as trifoliate orange or Japanese bitter orange is a close relative of citrus trees. It's a deciduous or semi-deciduous tree native to Chine. Leaves are trifoliate, and flowers are white, simple and often fragrant. It bears inedible fruits that look like small citrus fruits. It has gorgeous green contorted branches with lots of nice pointy green thorns. One has grown in my parking strip for several years but this is the first year that it's produced fruit! Hooray. The gorgeous green thorns and contorted branches were reason enough for me to grow this awesome plant but the fruit is such a welcome surprise!
For some far better pictures of this cool plant look here. On the day I took these, it was sunny and I was too excited at finding them to hold the camera still.
The second surprise was this noid euonymus that I planted in a parking strip to provide evergreen color. Just the other day, I went out and saw little bits of orange sticking out from under the branches.
Surprise, it was wearomg brightly colored seeds typical of the euonymus clan, something that I wasn't aware that it would do.
Speaking of brightly colored seeds, look at these belonging to Iris foetidissima. The appearance of this iris's flowers in the summer is often overlooked as they are quite subtle. The seeds make up for the shyness of the flowers by daring you not to notice their brassy orange performance which lasts into winter if the birds don't eat them first.
Not really a surprise but it's always a joy to see them!
Happy new week all and may it be filled with only good surprises for us all!
I hope I find such wonderful surprises out in my garden this week. I may have to get some of that Iris foetidissima next spring. I love those orange seeds. And the ones on the Euonymus are cool too.
ReplyDeleteIf you'd like some Iris foetidissima next spring, remind me and I'll bring you some as they have gently spread.
DeleteIf you are at all into Halloween decorations it seems nature provided you with everything you'll need. Between the spider webs and dry artichoke from the previous post and the terrifically bright orange surprises you encountered today you are now set!
ReplyDeleteWikipedia suggests Japanese bitter orange can be made into marmalade...hmmm
You are absolutely right! Went to the pumpkin patch yesterday to round things out a bit with some squash and gourds as well. Hadn't heard about making marmalade from bitter orange before. Thanks for the idea!
DeleteI second your opinion that the Iris is underused/overlooked. I have one too, and this time of year, their fruits are a welcome splash of color. The Euonymus seeds are scrumptious. Love their white little cradles! As for the Flying Dragon - I have a confession. I had one, and somehow managed to kill it. Very bummed about that. Somehow it got lost in the shuffle for too long. It is very abuse-tolerant, and it hung in there long, but eventually I broke its spiny back. Next time, I'll do better...
ReplyDeleteThe iris flowers are not as brazen as the seeds. Love seeing the flash of orange now! Your second relationship with Flying Dragon will be much more rewarding for you both!
DeleteI admire and am glad of those surprises. Beautiful pictures. Greetings from Poland!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Joanna! Greetings from the U.S. Have a wonderful week!
DeleteBeautiful!!! I am a strong advocate for the poncirus, they are soo beautiful! I have been lusting after one for quite some time now
ReplyDeleteYou should get one Louis! I didn't know that they actually bloomed and fruited, I fell in love with those gorgeous green thorns for winter interest.
DeletePretty surprise, peter! I love this colorful seeds, they seem to be bright spot in the bushes of euonymus. What taste has Japanese bitter orange? Did you liked it?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nadezda. I haven't tried the Japanese bitter orange because I've heard that they're not very good but just learned that marmalade can be made from them.
DeleteWhat a wonderful way to start a Monday! I'm curious as to what the bitter orange tastes like.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to taste it and see. I've a feeling that it tastes like citrus rind.
DeleteYay! Fruit on the poncirus, how exciting! Neither of mine have bloomed yet.
ReplyDeleteI was very happy when it bloomed but didn't notice a particularly strong fragrance. The fruit is such a nice surprise!
DeleteYay for the poncirus fruit! As for the euonymus, didn't know until now they produced such nice looking berries!
ReplyDeleteThe euonymus berries were a surprise to me. This is a year of fecundity in my garden for some reason.
DeleteHow fun! Love the euonymus, but all the seeds are so pretty. Very enticing to the birds, I suspect - a rare treat, perhaps.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if the birds like euonymus seeds or not as they don't seem to flock to my other seed bearing euonymus (thimble trees.)
DeletePretty fruits on the Poncirus, but it's the Euonymus fruit that surprises me. It's a nice bonus to that great variegated foliage.
ReplyDeleteThey are pretty special!
DeleteThose Euonymus seeds are too cool...and those papery husks..nice!
ReplyDeleteThey were a total surprise as I bought the Euonymus for its evergreen foliage & had no idea that it would produce such interesting seeds!
DeleteThose euonymus seeds are very cool. I've never seen them. Do only certain species produce them?
ReplyDeleteI'm learning that many Euonymus produce cool seeds. The burning bushes that are screaming red this time of year also have red seeds but they blend in with the foliage. The Spindle Trees are euonymus and are grown mostly for the seed/fruit show.
DeleteI would think the thorns on the Flying Dragon would come as a surprise to someone getting out of their car by your parking strip? How fun to get fruit!
ReplyDeleteOur parking strips are very wide so you'd have to get out of your car and walk a little bit before you found the thorns. It's a nice thought to keep people out of the bed though!
DeleteHello there "TOG" (I have a nickname for you now ? LOL)
ReplyDeleteI love this beautiful Flying Dragon plant .. reminds me of my corylus Red Majestic in it's structure but thankfully mine does not have those thorns! haha .. but it is stunning and I can understand why you were so excited ! .. the euonymus is a beauty too with those berries .. I have gone through a few in my time but the last straw was a severe attack of scale (from my neighbor's plant) and that was it for me .. I miss them though.
I have not seen berries like that from iris .. wow ! You have a wonderful assortment of colour for these last days of Fall : ) .. Ah .. yes, putting off the chores is banking ? them for Spring .. not a good thing to do but sometimes (S**T) happens ? LOL
Joy
Some of the chores are much easier in the spring. All of the plants are dried and it's very easy to just snap them off instead of doing all of that tedious cutting back. There have been springs when my snow drops and daffodils have been blooming through a tangle of last years dried plants. The garden is very forgiving. May not look great, but it won't die.
DeleteThat's such a bummer that you can't eat the fruit from the poncirus. The ability to grow citrus might be the only way you could get me to live in California. But still, what a great tree.
ReplyDeleteThere are a couple of edible citrus that you can grow here. They require a little sweetening to taste really good but still... Some people are growing citrus in pots and dragging them in and out each spring and fall. I'm tempted but the Orangery has not yet been constructed:)
DeleteI have just found a euonymous with orange seeds with white "petals"... variegated, just like this... hoping to find the name of it but looks like no one here knows either! Mine is in Ashtead, Surrey UK, October 2016
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