Shangjuan, Ichang lemon – Citrus × wilsonii

Shangjuan is a natural hybrid born in the mountains of China, between the Ichang papeda and the pomelo. It inherits hardiness from one and generosity from the other: a large fruit that can exceed 10 cm, with a flavour between lemon and grapefruit.

• Botanical name: Citrus × wilsonii
• Parentage: natural hybrid of Ichang papeda (Citrus ichangensis) × pomelo (Citrus maxima)
• Origin: central and south-western China
• Hardiness: −13 to −15 °C
• Fruit: large, pale yellow, very juicy and aromatic
• Ripening: November
• Uses: lemon tarts and desserts; when fully ripe, eaten with a spoon like a grapefruit

Why it withstands the cold

Its parent, the Ichang papeda, is the hardiest citrus after Poncirus; it tolerates both frost and damp. It is also the ancestor of yuzu, sudachi and kabosu, three stars of Japanese cuisine.

In the garden

A vigorous, thorny shrub, very decorative with its broadly winged leaf stalks. Full sun, well-drained soil and shelter from prevailing winds to protect its large fruits.

The plant you receive

You receive a young grafted tree about 40 cm tall above the pot, low-grafted onto a Poncirus trifoliata rootstock from our own production. Planted young, it roots straight into your garden soil and establishes better than a tree kept in a pot for years.

Because it is grafted low, the variety itself forms the trunk: the tree stands on its own without a stake and can regrow from above the graft after a severe frost. All our citrus trees are grown at 1,000 m altitude in the Livradois, never in a heated greenhouse, with organic fertiliser only.

Grafted trees are shipped from June; the rest of the year, you can pre-order them.