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["Donna &/or Kieran" <holycow@cookeville.com>]

Dr. Parmer,     

    I have heard of this variety, but even though it may be legal to import seeds into the US, it would not be legal (without a lot of paperwork) to import either seeds or budwood into any of the states where it could be grown.  I'm quite sure that Natsudaidai doesn't bloom in March and get ripe by May, a pity or I'd be jumping at the offer myself.  Citrus that hang on the tree till May of the following year, such as Valencia oranges, must be grown in areas where commercial citrus is grown.   I'm pretty sure that this variety is represented in the collection at Riverside California, and thus there is no excuse on re-importing it, even though I found it well nigh impossible to get anything out of Riverside. 

     By contrast, there are fewer restrictions on hardy citrus into states that can't grow commercial citrus varieties.  But I think most of the hardier citrus you know of were brought in by Oregon Exotics some years back, correct?  We'd be better off if those trees were propagated from now mature trees to work our way into what's known as an "old budline".  Seedlings just take too long to crop, especially for northerners whose growing season is short or those who have to give valuable greenhouse space to thorny non-productive seedlings.  But thank you anyway, it was a nice thought.  Is the fruit more like pummelo, or more like mandarin?  The seeds must be nucellars to give so many semiwild trees of the same variety.  Sounds like a parallel cross to grapfruit, which also has a lot of nucellars.       Donna