The clementine tree with dark green foliage and orange fruit

Credit: Larry Koester

Dark green leaves Clementine orange fruit

Credit: Oddharmonic

White clementine flowers

Credit: Krzysztof Golik

Fruits orange clementines green leaves

Credit: Domaine public

Clementine Citrus x clementina, a Mediterranean-scented shrub

It's difficult to know the exact origin of the clementine tree, Citrus x clementina. Like many specimens of the Rutaceae family, this citrus fruit is a hybrid: it's a cross between mandarin tree and orange tree. The physician and botanist Louis Charles Trabut seems to have been the first to take an interest in it, during a trip to Algeria in 1892. Since its discovery, the clementine tree has been cultivated on both sides of the Mediterranean for its fruit, clementines, and as an ornamental tree.

How to recognize the Citrus x clementina clementine?

The Citrus x clementina clementine is a four- to six-meter-high shrub with a bushy habit. At maturity, its rounded crown reaches a width of two meters.

Clementines retain their dense foliage all year round. The alternate, petiolate leaves are oval. They measure between 5 and 14 centimetres. Green and glossy, they release a citrus scent.

Flowering also gives off this sweet scent. Bunch after bunch of white flowers bloom in late February, heralding the return of spring.

But the clementine tree is best known for its fruit. The clementine, a sphere five to six centimetres in diameter, is seedless. Initially green, the fruit turns orange after the first frosts.

Once ripe, between October and the end of January, clementines are harvested. Their juicy, sweet flesh can be enjoyed both raw and cooked. Perfumers extract the essence of the clementine from its juice. They use it to create fragrances that evoke summer and the Mediterranean.

Our maintenance tips

Maintaining a Citrus x clementina is not difficult. Above all, you need to protect it from frost in winter and provide it with the nutrients it needs to grow. With the right potting soil and regular fertilizing, you'll soon be enjoying your own citrus fruits.

Clementine trees citrus trees need regular watering all year round. During hot spells, water early in the morning or in the evening. Water evaporates less quickly, and your shrub benefits from it for longer.

Watering

Keep the soil slightly moist. Water only when the substrate is dry on the surface, for one or two centimeters.

Water with non-calcareous water at room temperature, without soaking the soil.

Thirty minutes after watering, empty any stagnant water from the cup. This will keep the roots dry and prevent them from rotting.

Repotting

In spring, transfer your Citrus x clementina to a larger pot, so that it can continue to grow.

When roots protrude from the pot or are visible on the surface, it's time to repot!

To prepare your Citrus x clementina for repotting, soak the root ball. Then gently loosen the root ball.

Choose a terracotta pot or a wooden tub. Both materials encourage water evaporation and reduce the risk of over-watering. Make sure the container is perforated to allow water to drain away.

At the bottom, place a bed of clay balls or gravel to facilitate drainage.

Top up with a rich substrate, such as special citrus or planting soil. You can make your own mixture with :

one-third planting soil
one-third garden soil
pozzolan.

Place your shrub in the center. The surface of the rootball should be two centimetres below the rim of the pot. Fill with substrate and tamp to eliminate air bubbles. When planting, do not bury the collar.

Fertilization

You can stimulate the development of your plant during its growth phase, in spring and summer, with fertilizer.

Clementine trees are greedy plants. They need to be fertilized. Feed yours with a special liquid or granulated citrus fertilizer.

Cleaning

Using a clean, damp cloth, clean the top and bottom of the leaves. This removes dust and limits the appearance of pests.

Harvest

Pick the fruit from the tree when it's ripe.

Prune

Size is not essential. It only helps to control shape and development and improves fruiting. When pruning, always use clean, sharp pruning shears.

Citrus trees flower and fruit on the year's wood. To maintain the compact, rounded shape of your shrub, remove dead branches and shoots growing along the trunk. You can also aerate the center by removing some shoots that have already borne fruit in previous years.

If you want to improve your harvest, you can also carry out a fruiting pruning operation: one month after the appearance of a new shoot, prune it back to a height of 20 centimetres.

Pinch

Pinch your Citrus x clementina during its growing season.

To encourage stem branching, pinch off the terminal buds.

Plantation

Once the last spring frosts have passed, you can plant.

Find them a place sheltered from the wind and isolated from other plants. Citrus plants have shallow roots and don't like to share their space.

Dig a hole 70 centimetres wide and 1 metre in diameter. While you're at it, soak the root ball.

Plant the plant in the middle, with the top of the rootball level with the ground. Take care not to bury the collar.

Clementine trees plants thrive in light, well-drained, rich soil. When filling in, add potting soil or citrus soil to your garden soil. Tamp and water.

Diseases / Threats

Information

Family	Rutaceae - Rutaceae
Type	Citrus - Citrus
Species	Clementine - Citrus x clementina
Lifecycle	Perennial
Foliage	Evergreen
Exposures	Sun Half-shade
Substrat	Humus soil
Planting methods	Open ground In pots In tubs
Categories	Shrub Fruit tree
Tag	Edible fruit
Origin	North Africa
Hardiness (USDA)	9b
Leaf color
Flower color
Fruit color