wild orange
Noun: 1. A small flowering evergreen tree (Prunus caroliniana) native to the southern United States. It is also commonly known as the Carolina laurelcherry. 2. A small, fast-growing, spiny deciduous tree (Poncirus trifoliata) native to China, bearing fragrant flowers and decorative but inedible fruit. It is used as a rootstock for grafting citrus trees and for creating hedges. It is also commonly known as the trifoliate orange or hardy orange.
- The wild orange, or Carolina laurelcherry, is often used as an ornamental hedge in southern landscapes.
- The wild orange (trifoliate orange) is prized by horticulturists for its cold hardiness and disease resistance when used as a grafting stock.
- Although its fruit is not palatable, the wild orange tree produces beautifully scented white flowers in the spring.
- The term "wild orange" is a common name that can cause confusion, as it refers to botanically distinct species ( and ) that are not true oranges (). Context is often needed to determine which specific plant is being discussed.
- Carolina laurelcherry: The preferred common name for .
- Trifoliate orange: The preferred common name for .
- Hardy orange: Another common name for .
- For : Carolina cherry laurel, laurel cherry.
- For : Japanese bitter-orange, flying dragon (a contorted cultivar).
This word has two distinct primary meanings referring to different plant species: 1. An evergreen tree native to the southeastern U.S., valued for its glossy leaves and use in hedging. 2. A deciduous, cold-hardy citrus relative from East Asia, critically important in agriculture for grafting edible citrus varieties. Both meanings share the characteristic of being non-cultivated ("wild") relatives of commonly cultivated plants (cherries and oranges, respectively).
- small flowering evergreen tree of southern United States
- small fast-growing spiny deciduous Chinese orange tree bearing sweetly scented flowers and decorative but inedible fruit: used as a stock in grafting and for hedges