Hodge's Family Nursery Plant Finder

Other Names:  Honeybell, Citrus paradisi x reticulata

Description:

A hybrid selection that is a cross of a tangerine and grapefruit; large, deep reddish-orange fruit with orange flesh are tangy, juicy, and easy to peel; fruit is characterized by its stem-end neck; a great orchard tree or landscape accent

Edible Qualities

Minneola Tangelo is a large shrub that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces large orange oblong fruit with red overtones and orange flesh which are usually ready for picking from mid winter to early spring. The fruits have a tangy taste with a juicy texture and a strong fragrance.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Preserves
• Juice-Making

Features & Attributes

Minneola Tangelo features showy clusters of fragrant white star-shaped flowers with buttery yellow eyes at the ends of the branches from early to mid spring. It has dark green evergreen foliage. The glossy pointy leaves remain dark green throughout the winter. It features an abundance of magnificent orange berries with red overtones from early to late winter. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up.

This is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spiny

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Minneola Tangelo is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Minneola Tangelo will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more. This variety requires a different selection of the same species growing nearby in order to set fruit.

This shrub is typically grown in a designated area of the yard because of its mature size and spread. It does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Minneola Tangelo is a good choice for the edible garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.