Citrus orange 'Fukumoto'

Citrus orange 'Fukumoto' produces sweet, juicy, and seedless fruit that features a strong red-orange tinge to the rind. The fruit is known for its excellent flavor and typically ripens in late winter. It thrives in full sun, and Citrus orange 'Fukumoto' produces scented white flowers during the summer months. Additionally, Citrus orange 'Fukumoto' is self-fertile, making it a low-maintenance option for gardeners who want to cultivate fruit without the need for additional pollinators. Citrus orange is evergreen, a hybrid between Citrus reticulata and Citrus maxima, and native to China, India, and Myanmar. Citrus orange 'Fukumoto' is believed to be a naturally occurring mutation of a Citrus orange 'Washington Navel' tree that was found in the 1960s in the garden of S. Fukumoto in Kokawa (Kokawa-Cho), Naga District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. It was was donated to an American doctor named W. P. Bitters in 1983. Bitters selected 'Fukumoto' from a display of Japanese citrus trees and then brought Citrus orange 'Fukumoto' to the United States Department of Agriculture quarantine facility in Glenn Dale, Maryland, United States. It then spent a few years in quarantine before being released in September 1986.