Kishu mikan

File:CherryOrange.compare (cropped).png (largest), another variety of mikan, or mandarin orange (middling), and a kishu mikan (smallest)]]

The kishu mikan (Citrus kinokuni ex Tanaka), from Japanese {{nihongo||紀州蜜柑|Kishū mikan}}, is a hybrid variety of mikan, or mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata), found in Southern China and also grown in Japan.[https://web.archive.org/web/20190425075217/http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/display.php%3Fid%3D000020021602A0562499 http://sciencelinks.jp]

The fruit is also known as Baby Mandarin, Tiny Tangerine, Mini Mandarin and Kishu Mandarin. It is sold under the brand name "Cherry Orange" in Europe. It is shaped like a mandarin, between {{cvt|25|and|50|mm|abbr=unit}} in diameter. The fruit's orange skin is thin and smooth.

Some varieties of kishu,{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fow-marketwatch8-2010jan13-story.html |title=The Seedless Kishu, a small but mighty mandarin |last=Karp |first=David |date=13 January 2010 |work=Los Angeles Times}} such as the mukaku kishu, are seedless.{{cite web|title=Kishu |url=https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/kishu.html |website=citrusvariety.ucr.edu}} The species is used in creating seedless hybrid citrus.{{cite journal|last1=Chavez |first1=Dario J. |last2=Chaparro |first2=José X. |title=Identification of Markers Linked to Seedlessness in Citrus kinokuni hort. ex Tanaka and Its Progeny Using Bulked Segregant Analysis |journal=HortScience |date=1 May 2011 |volume=46 |issue=5 |pages=693–697 |language=en |issn=0018-5345|doi=10.21273/HORTSCI.46.5.693 |doi-access=free}} The largest variety is the hira kishu.

Taxonomy

Under the Tanaka system of citrus taxonomy, the kishu mikan was categorized as a separate species named Citrus kinokuni, while the Swingle system grouped it with other pure and hybrid mandarins as a single species, Citrus reticulata. It may also be called the Kinokuni group. In the 2010s, genetic sequencing allowed resolution of taxonomic debate, placing kishus and a number of other mandarin varieties as mutated clones of one another. All of them are the offspring of a single mildly-hybrid citrus (citrus plants generally hybridize freely). See Kishu mikan#Relatives below.

History

{{image frame|border=no|content=File:Wakayama-Mount Arida mandarin orange-xl.jpg|alt=looking down past the branches of mandarins fruiting on walled terraces, along extremely steep hillsides falling away to the floodplain of an estuary which flows into the page and to the right, where the sea can just be seen; the seaward floodplain is heavily urbanized, but the city is small, and the nearby floodplain has significant greenspace. On the far side of the valley, less-steep uncultivated north-facing hillsides rise.|Mandarins (actually Arida mandarins, not kishu mandarins) being grown on the steep hillsides above the city of Arida.

File:Kinokuniya bunzaemon-hi.JPG|Kishu mandarin trees shading the grave of Kinokuniya Bunzaemon, a merchant who exported kishus to Edo.

}}

The fruit is thought to have arisen in Southern China; it is believed to have been grown since the 700s. Its name was recorded in the records of Jianchang during the Ming Dynasty, and its agricultural growth is widespread in Jiangxi province.{{Citation |last1=Deng |first1=Xiuxin |title=Chapter 3 - Domestication and history |date=2020-01-01 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128121634000036 |work=The Genus Citrus |pages=33–55 |editor-last=Talon |editor-first=Manuel |publisher=Woodhead Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1016/b978-0-12-812163-4.00003-6 |isbn=978-0-12-812163-4 |access-date=2023-01-18 |last2=Yang |first2=Xiaoming |last3=Yamamoto |first3=Masashi |last4=Biswas |first4=Manosh Kumar |s2cid=214015638 |editor2-last=Caruso |editor2-first=Marco |editor3-last=Gmitter |editor3-first=Fred G.}} The variety was introduced to Japan around 1200.

The Kishū Tokugawa family, the Kishu branch of the influential Tokugawa clan, ruled Kishū Domain, and is said to have promoted the farming of mandarins on the hillsides around Arida, which were too steep to be readily terraced for rice production. Kinokuniya Bunzaemon (1669-1734) grew rich transporting the fruit to Edo (modern-day Tokyo).{{cite web |title=Kitsumoto Jinja - The "Mandarin" Shrine - Japan Airlines |url=https://jal.japantravel.com/wakayama/kitsumoto-jinja-the-mandarin-shrine/66430 |website=jal.japantravel.com |access-date=27 October 2024}} The scientific term "kinokuni [citrus] group" refers to kishu mandarins. Kishu mandarins remained the most popular citrus in Tokyo until the 1800s.

Kishu mikan were introduced to America in the 1800s but were not widely known. A seedless cultivar was developed for commercial production starting in 1983 at the University of California Citrus Research Center but citrus researchers dismissed the kishus as too small to be commercially viable. However, kishus became a favorite for graduate students and staff at UCR and was featured in the UCR Citrus Variety Collection conducted by Ottillia Biehr in 2000. It was there that Jim Churchill and Lisa Brenneis of Churchill Orchards were introduced to the tiny fruit. They thought it was "cute" and went on to be the first to produce kishus commercially in the United States with the planting of an initial block of 50 specially ordered kishu trees in Ojai Valley, California.{{cite web |last1=Brenneis |first1=Lisa |title=20th Anniversary – Little Wonder – Churchill Orchard in the Ojai Valley |url=https://www.tangerineman.com/2024/01/16/20th-anniversary-little-wonder/ |website=tangerine man |access-date=5 February 2025 |date=16 January 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Karp |first1=David |title=The Seedless Kishu, a small but mighty mandarin |url=https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fow-marketwatch8-2010jan13-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=5 February 2025 |date=13 January 2010}}{{cite web|title=kishu|url=http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/kishu.html|website=University of California Riverside Citrus Variety Collection|access-date=2016-12-19|archive-date=2019-04-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425075215/https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/kishu.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Kishu Tangerine |url=http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Kishu_Tangerines_6679.php |publisher=Specialty Produce}} By the 1990s, the fruit had entered the market, and started to become widely available in the US around 2010.

The fruit became commercially available in Europe in 2006. It is also grown in Australia.{{Cite web |title=The History of the Kishu Mandarin |date=12 April 2022 |url=https://minnetonkaorchards.com/kishu-mandarin/}}

Eating

File:CherryOrange.pilled.png

Picked but unpeeled, kishu mandarins will keep for a week at room temperature, up to twice that when refrigerated.

The fruit is enveloped in a thin skin ({{cvt|0.11|cm|in|disp=or}} thick{{cn|date=October 2024}}) which secretes a mildly aromatic oil. It peels easily. The skin is dried as chenpi and used as seasoning, for instance in shichimi togarashi and chocolate.:File:Chocolate coated citrus peel 01.jpg

The fruit usually has 7–14 sections. The alba (white lining of the skin) tends to come away cleanly with the skin, and the membranes between the segments are very thin. The cell walls within the segments are imperceptibly thin. Some varieties are seedless; others have seeds.

The taste is bright, juicy,{{cite web |last1=Borunda |first1=Alejandra |title=The Fruit I Wait All Year to Eat |url=https://www.bonappetit.com/story/kishu-oranges |website=Bon Appétit |access-date=27 October 2024 |date=16 February 2017}} sweet and rich but not notably tangy;{{cite web |last1=Alder |first1=Greg |title=Satsuma vs. Kishu: Comparing two early mandarins |url=https://gregalder.com/yardposts/satsuma-vs-kishu-comparing-two-early-mandarins/ |website=Greg Alder's Yard Posts: Southern California food gardening |access-date=27 October 2024 |date=14 January 2022}} the acidity is balanced by the high sweetness (11-14 Brix). The candy-like taste, loose peel, and small size make kishu mandarins popular with children.

Cultivation

{{multiple image

| width = 150

| footer =

| image1 = A Giant Kumquats Trees at Sam Shing Estate.jpg | alt1 = Tree wrapped in polythene, standing just outside a door which is about as tall and wide as the tree; if it were unwrapped, it might be wider than the door. Topmost 20cm or so is unwrapped, and consists of vertical shoots with no fruit. The rest of the tree is heavily fruited: more than 200 mandarins are visible, and there might easily be more than 500 on the tree. Pot has decorative patterns of yellow-on-brown glaze; it is about 45cm tall and bulges in the center to about 35cm across.

| caption1 = ~2m/7ft-tall potted mandarin tree, possibly a kishu mandarin. Potted kishu trees do not grow much bigger than this.

| image2 = Citrus reticulata Fruchtansatz.JPG

| alt2 = Closeup of a tiny mandarin fruit and adjacent green developing fruit; thin skin outlines bulging segments

| caption2 = Fruiting mandarin, possibly a kishu mandarin, from the size, in Heidelberg, Germany. 2010

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Kishu mandarin trees are commonly planted in household gardens in Japan, and grown in greenhouses, pots on balconies, sunny rooms, and commercial orchards.

They are small evergreen and perennial trees; they can live for centuries. Trees are often sold when about knee-high. They grow rapidly to a size of about {{convert|4|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} in diameter and {{convert|10|ft|m}} in height (in pots, shorter: {{cvt|7|–|8|ft|m|disp=or}}).

File:Fleurs kinokuni.jpg

The trees flower abundantly in spring, around April in the northern hemisphere. Trees are self-fertile;{{cite web |title=Mandarin Kishu |url=https://nutcrackernursery.com/products/mandarin-kishu |website=Pépinière Casse-Noisette |access-date=27 October 2024 |language=en}} manual transfer of pollen between blossoms (even just by shaking the branches) can improve yield. Trees thrive in high humidity but require well-drained soil. They require five hours of sun each day and will grow well and fruit in temperatures ranging from {{cvt|55|–|75|F}}. If grown in containers, they can be taken indoors at night.

There is some disagreement about their degree of cold-hardiness. They are moderately cold-hardy citrus, but it is said of the seedless mukakukishu variety that trees should be taken indoors or wrapped in a frost cloth when temperatures fall below either freezing,{{cite web |title=All About the Kishu Mandarin Tree |url=https://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/a/blog/all-about-the-kishu-mandarin-tree |website=Four Winds Growers |access-date=27 October 2024 |language=en}}; 32°F is 0 Celsius, freezing temperature. or {{cvt|20|F|C}}. It is said of the same variety that they are cold-hardy down to {{cvt|5|C|F}}{{cite web |title=Seedless Kishu |url=https://tropicofcanada.ca/plant-varieties/citrus/satsuma/ |website=Tropic of Canada |access-date=27 October 2024}} or {{cvt|-10|F|C}}. It is said that it can be grown in patio pots in hardiness zone 4-11, and in zones 8-11 outdoors,{{cite web |title=Kishu Mandarin Tree for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide |url=https://www.trees.com/kishu-mandarin-trees |website=trees.com |access-date=27 October 2024}} or in zones 3-11 patio and 8-11 outdoors,{{cite web |title=Kishu Mandarin Tree |url=https://www.fast-growing-trees.com/products/Kishu-Mandarin-Tree |website=Fast-growing Trees |access-date=27 October 2024}} or in zones 9-10.{{cite web |title=Kishu mikan |url=https://growersoutlet.com/Plant_Info/Edibles/Citrus/Citrus_kinokuni_mukakukishu.pdf |website=Grower's Outlet |access-date=27 October 2024}} Kishu mikan trees may be grafted onto various rootstocks.{{cite web |title=Seedless Kishu mandarin {{!}} Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection at UCR |url=https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/crc3906 |website=citrusvariety.ucr.edu |access-date=27 October 2024 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Kishu Semi-Dwarf Mandarin Tree |url=https://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/products/kishu-mandarin-tree |website=Four Winds Growers |access-date=27 October 2024 |language=en}} Rootstock hardiness may affect tree hardiness.

File:CherryOrange-harvest.jpg.]]

The fruit grows to {{cvt|1|–|2|inch}} in size and is harvested in mid-winter; in the Northern Hemisphere, this is November to February, depending on the local climate. Trees may fruit in their first year and typically yield {{cvt|88|lb|kg}} of fruit annually.

When the fruit is left on the tree for too long, it can lose its flavor, with the fruit becoming puffy and losing its acidity. Older trees may produce smaller fruits.

The fruit needs to be handled with care to avoid damage; it is usually picked by hand.{{cite web |title=Kishu Mandarins |url=https://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Kishu_Tangerines_6679.php |website=specialtyproduce.com |access-date=27 October 2024 |language=en}} Its small size makes harvesting and sorting it more labour-intensive per unit weight.

In popular culture

Seedless varieties are popular in the United States, but were traditionally considered unlucky in Japan, where seeded varieties are preferred in the belief that the seeds represent family members and descendants. Kishu mandarins became traditional Christmas gifts in Canada, a custom which probably spread from the Japanese immigrant community.{{cite web |title=CPW Celebrates 20 Years of Churchill Orchard's Kishu Mandarin Magic |url=https://www.cpw.coop/cpw-blog/kishu-20th |website=Co-op Partners Warehouse |access-date=27 October 2024 |date=24 January 2024}}

Relatives

Kishu mandarins are often propagated as budwood grafts, like other citrus (many can also reproduce asexually through apomixis). This means that all specimens of a citrus cultivar (citrus variety) are essentially clones of one another. Some of these clones mutate, somatic mutations that form bud sports; useful sports are then widely propagated by humans as new cultivars. A large number of mandarin varieties have been found to be mutant clone-siblings of kishu mandarins. These include:{{cite journal | last1=Shimizu | first1=Tokurou |last2=Kitajima | first2=Akira | last3=Nonaka |first3=Keisuke | last4=Yoshioka | first4=Terutaka | last5=Ohta | first5=Satoshi | last6=Goto | first6=Shingo | last7=Toyoda | first7=Atsushi | last8=Fujiyama | first8=Asao | last9=Mochizuki | first9=Takako | last10=Nagasaki | first10=Hideki | last11=Kaminuma | first11=Eli | last12=Nakamura | first12=Yasukazu | title=Hybrid Origins of Citrus Varieties Inferred from DNA Marker Analysis of Nuclear and Organelle Genomes | journal=PLOS ONE | volume=11 | issue=11 | page=e0166969 | doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0166969| pmid=27902727 | pmc=5130255 | year=2016 | bibcode=2016PLoSO..1166969S | doi-access=free }}