Villa Bizzarria
Meet the tree
The collection’s Cedro Arancio is described in the villa document as combining Amalfi citron and orange. That account is retained as the collection’s description; an independently verified origin for this particular designation has not been found.
The fruit has a thick rind, moving towards yellow-orange at maturity. The document particularly values the substantial white pith for its texture and mild sweetness, while the flesh is relatively low in juice.
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The plant is described as vigorous, with upright growth, visible thorns and repeat flowering. Its main ripening season is winter.
Suggested uses in the collection text include salads, candied peel and desserts. Its interest lies as much in the relationship between rind and pith as in the flesh itself.
It is kept distinct here from the Chinese citron, despite similar colour-related names appearing across historical citrus catalogues.
