Blood Valencia

[heganyu]

Blood Valencia is a pigmented sport of a conventional Valencia orange tree. The mother tree was growing in a home garden in Moorpark, CA, and a branch was observed to be producing fruit with a pronounced red rind blush and strong red internal color. Seeds were saved from a fruit sample brought to the local farm advisor, and the most promising seedling was selected for release. The tree is a vigorous grower and carries good crops of fruit. The fruit is of good size and flavor and is very low-seeded. As noted above, the rind frequently carries a heavy red blush and the flesh is heavily pigmented by anthocyanin. The fruit shape is somewhat variable at present, globose to ovoid with a depressed base, possibly due to the juvenility of the subject trees. Although the fruit is mature in late winter, it holds well on the tree into late spring, well past the season for conventional blood oranges.