Calamondin orange, China orange, golden lime

The calamondin orange is Chinese in origin and later spread through the Philippines and Indonesia. It was introduced in Italy in Acireale (Catania) in the 1950s. Some botanists belive it to be a mandarin x kumquat (Fortunella) hybrid.
The tree is quite vigorous and highly productive with a rounded compact habit and small, oval leaves. It is remontant, producing small white flowers with a heady, delicate fragrance, from spring to late autumn. The fruit is small and spherical with thin, bright orange, sweet and edible rind, and sour flesh with few seeds. It is a very hardy, cold-resistant plant which differs from all other citrus plants in one interesting feature: it tolerates the dry heat of an apartment very well, and is therefore widely used as an ornamental plant. The fruit remains on the plant for a long period even after ripening and it is an especially popular indoor plant in the festive season. In Vietnam the calamondin orange is a symbol of prosperity and is often given as a good wishes gift on important or festive occasions.