Mother Orange Tree

Mother Orange Tree
Mother Orange Tree
	The Mother Orange Tree
Location	400 Glen Drive, Oroville, California
Coordinates	39°30′40″N 121°30′15.4″W / 39.51111°N 121.504278°WCoordinates: 39°30′40″N 121°30′15.4″W / 39.51111°N 121.504278°W
California Historical Landmark
Reference no.	1043

The Mother Orange Tree is the oldest living orange tree in Northern California. The California Historical Landmark is located at 400 Glen Drive in Oroville, California.^[1]

History[]

Originally planted in Bidwell's Bar near the Bidwell Bar Bridge, the tree is a Mediterranean sweet orange Citrus × sinensis cultivar. The citrus rootstock was brought from Mazatlán, Mexico, on a shipping vessel. The two-year-old orange tree, which was a novelty in Northern California at the time, was purchased in 1856 by Judge Joseph Lewis in the city of Sacramento and planted at the western approach to the bridge.

As the years passed and the tree flourished, growing to a height of over 60 feet (18 m), it was a favorite attraction of miners. They would sample its fruit and save seeds to plant in the dooryards of their cabins. On average, it yielded about 600 pounds (273 kg) of oranges that ripened between February and May each year.

Transplanting[]

The tree has been transplanted twice: once in 1862 to avoid flooding of the Feather River; and a second time in 1964 during the construction of Oroville Dam when it was moved to the California State Park Headquarters in Oroville. James Edward Huse, a crane operator with Bigge construction was chosen to move the Mother Orange in 1964 due to his ancestors’ involvement in transporting the tree originally. The tree's survival proved that the citrus industry could thrive in the colder climate of Northern California, encouraging many people to grow oranges in the area around Oroville, although the vast majority produced in the region are of the navel orange variety instead.

Recent events[]

In 1998, a severe frost struck and the tree stopped bearing fruit for a number of years. As a result of the frost, decay fungus entered the trunk and hollowed it out. To ensure preservation of the tree, propagation experts at the University of California, Riverside successfully cloned the tree in 2003 and three clones were brought to Oroville for planting. The tree has since resumed fruit production.

The California Historical Landmark commemorative plaque for the bridge may be found near the tree.

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "California Historical Landmarks: Butte County". Office of Historical Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-10-06.

Ek, Richard, Old Mother Orange, Chico News and Review, May 1, 2003

[CHL-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b "California Historical Landmarks: Butte County". Office of Historical Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-10-06.

[1]

hide v t Citrus
True species	Australian and Papuan wild limes Citron Clymenia Ichang papeda Kaffir lime Kumquat Common mandarin Mangshanyegan Pomelo Ryukyu mandarin
Major hybrids	Grapefruit Lemon Lime Orange
True and hybrid cultivars	Alemow Amanatsu Bergamot orange Bizzaria Bitter orange Blood lime Blood orange Byeonggyul Biasong Cam sành Cara cara navel Cherry orange Citrange Citrumelo Clementine Daidai Dekopon Encore Fairchild tangerine Florentine citron Forbidden fruit Haruka Hassaku orange Hebesu Hyuganatsu Imperial lemon Indian wild orange Iyokan Jabara Jaffa orange Jamaican tangelo Kabbad Kabosu Kakadu lime Kalpi Kanpei Kawachi Bankan Key lime Khasi papeda Kinkoji unshiu Kinnow Kishumikan Kiyomi Kobayashi mikan Koji Komikan Kuchinotsu No. 37 Laraha Lemonade fruit Limón de Pica Lumia Mandelo Mandora Melanesian papeda Melogold Meyer lemon Micrantha Midknight Valencia Orange Murcott Myrtle-leaved orange tree New Zealand grapefruit Ōgonkan Orangelo/Chironja Oroblanco Palestinian sweet lime Persian lime Pixie mandarin Pompia Ponderosa lemon Ponkan Rangpur Reikou Rhobs el Arsa Rough lemon Samuyao Sanbokan Satsuma mandarin Setoka Shangjuan Shonan Gold Smith Red Valencia Sudachi Suruga yuko Sweet lemon Sweet limetta Tangelo Tangerine Tangor Valencia orange Variegated pink lemon Volkamer lemon Winged lime Xã Đoài orange Yuukou mandarin Yuzu
Citrons	Balady citron Corsican citron Diamante citron Fingered citron/Buddha's hand Greek citron Moroccan citron Yemenite citron
Mandarin oranges	Cleopatra mandarin Shīkwāsā Nanfengmiju Tachibana Willowleaf orange
Papedas	Celebes papeda Citrus halimii/Mountain "citron" Ichang papeda
Pomelos	Banpeiyu Dangyuja
Kumquat hybrids (× Citrofortunella)	Calamansi Citrangequat Limequat Orangequat Procimequat Sunquat Yuzuquat
Sahul citrus (former Microcitrus, Eromocitrus, Clymenia and Oxanthera genera)	Australian outback lime Australian round lime Brown River finger lime Desert lime Maiden's wild lime Mount White lime (Microcitrus) New Guinea wild lime Russell River lime Clymenia Orange-flowered oxanthera Large-leaf oxanthera Wavy-leaf oxanthera Oxanthera brevipes
Related genera (perhaps properly Citrus)	Poncirus/Trifoliate orange
Drinks	Calamansi juice Chūhai Curaçao Dried lime tea (noomi basra) Grapefruit juice Lemonade Limeade Orange juice Yuja-hwachae Yuja tea
Products	Calcium citrate Citric acid Lemonene Limonene Neroli Orange flower water Orange oil Orangeat Succade Zest
Diseases	Black spot Canker CTV/Tristeza Exocortis Greening Mal secco Phytophthora citricola
Citrus botanists	Clara H. Hasse Robert Willard Hodgson Lena B. Smithers Hughes David Mabberley Clément Rodier Robert Soost Walter Tennyson Swingle Chōzaburō Tanaka Ikuro Takahashi Johann Christoph Volkamer Herbert John Webber
Related topics	The Citrus Industry Citrus production Citrus rootstock Citrus taxonomy Cold-hardy citrus Hesperidium Japanese citrus List of citrus fruits Mother Orange Tree Orangery University of California Citrus Experiment Station University of California, Riverside Citrus Variety Collection
Category Production Commons

Mother Orange Tree

Contents

History[]

Transplanting[]

Recent events[]

See also[]

References[]