A guide to the ugly mandarin: ripening and market season, price, taste, origin, and whether it is genetically modified

The ugly mandarin, botanical name “Dekopon”, also known as “bumpy-topped mandarin” or “ugly citrus”, can promote salivation and quench thirst, resolve phlegm and regulate qi, and has high nutritional value and high medicinal value. It is a fine fruit with an affordable price. So when does it ripen and hit the market? Is it genetically modified? How much does it cost per jin? Where is it grown? According to grower Master Li of Sichuan, authentic ugly mandarins have soft, juicy flesh, cost between 6 yuan and 15 yuan, and sell at the highest price among domestic citrus of the same kind on the market. The ugly mandarin's ripening season is in February and March. Moreover, eating ugly mandarins does not cause internal heat, so you can eat them without worry.

Where is the ugly mandarin grown that tastes good?

The ugly mandarin was bred in 1972 by crossing Kiyomi with Nakano No. 3 ponkan at the Kuchinotsu Experiment Station, Kurume Branch, of the Horticultural Experiment Station of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. After grafting using the top-grafting variety-change technique, the Dekopon hybrid citrus in the western Sichuan Basin shows large fruit, with an average fruit weight of 200 grams and a maximum of over 400 grams. The fruit is obovate, often with a protruding short neck; the flesh is orange, soft and juicy, the segment walls extremely thin and soft, and the taste crisp and sweet.

Is the ugly mandarin genetically modified?

The ugly mandarin is a hybrid variety, not a genetically modified variety, but it is also a variety that has only appeared in recent years. Its flesh is rich in vitamin C and the trace elements the human body needs. Nutrient content (per 100 grams): calories (kcal) 36.89, carbohydrates (g) 9.02, fat (g) 0.00, protein (g) 0.82, fiber (g) 1.64. The peel of the ugly mandarin can be dried and used as medicine, and placed in the refrigerator it can deodorize.

When does the ugly mandarin ripen and hit the market?

For the ugly mandarin tree, using trifoliate orange as rootstock gives weaker tree vigor, while top-grafting onto Satsuma mandarin or summer mandarin as an interstock gives weak to moderate tree vigor. Young trees are relatively upright in form and spread out after entering the fruiting stage. The branches are densely borne, thin and short. The thorns gradually disappear as the tree ages. Coloring begins in early October and is complete by early December; the peel is yellow-orange, the fruit surface slightly rough, and it peels easily. The juice sugar content is above 13%, reaching a maximum of 17%, and the taste is extremely sweet; the fruit ripens in February to March of the following year, with excellent flavor.

Appendix: How to select an ugly mandarin

1. A real ugly mandarin has rough skin, a yellow-orange peel, no luster, and irregular bumps and hollows; both the fruit shape and size are uneven, like an “ugly monster”, and its upper part has an obvious protruding short neck. In short, the uglier the better; a fake ugly mandarin, by contrast, has only slightly rough skin, bright fruit color, inconspicuous bumps and hollows, and no obvious protruding part on top.

2. Looking at the place of origin is also very important. Most real ugly mandarins on the market now come from Sichuan (check the label); those from Guangxi, Yunnan, Fujian and other places are other varieties (or not authentic).

3. Real ugly mandarins, though ugly, taste very sweet and crisp, truly melting in the mouth, fragrant and delicious; their flesh is orange, soft and tender, with thin, soft segment walls and plenty of juice.

4. Ugly mandarins also come in sweet and sour types: those with thin, tender skin that feels soft to the touch are sweet; those with rough skin that feels firm are sour. When eating, peel from the bottom; it takes little effort to peel, and the inside of an ugly mandarin is seedless. A fake ugly mandarin, by contrast, tastes overly sour, has thick skin, is hard to peel, and has seeds.

5. Weigh it in your hand: because of differences in origin and cultivation practices, the single fruit weight of an ugly mandarin is 200 g to 280 g, and one that is too small or too large is not authentic.