Native Plants
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Sunday - March 04, 2007
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Thorns on non-native orange trees
Answered by: Damon Waitt
QUESTION:
I just moved into a new home that has orange trees in the yard. The tree trunks and limbs are thorny. What kind of oranges are they? How should I care for them? Is it ok to cut off the thorns so they don't prick passerbyers?ANSWER:
You most likely have one of the many different varieties of sweet orange or Citrus sinensis which can be traced back to China and Southeast Asia. There are about 16 Citrus species and they are all small evergreen trees and shrubs, usually with spines on trunks and branches. The genus includes lemons, limes, grapefruits, and oranges.
The Plants for a Future website has information about caring for your orange trees and, yes, you can remove the thorns without harming the tree.
More Non-Natives Questions
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Bark splitting on non-native Royal Poinciana in tree in Merritt Island FL
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Yellow jackets on non-native crape myrtles
September 25, 2008 - Hey Mr. Smarty Plants I have only 1 question. I have several Crape Myrtles that have numerous amounts (alarming) of yellow jacket bees on them. who what where when why etc? Should I be concerned? tha...
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Can berries of non-native Fuchsia plant be eaten from Duluth MN
August 09, 2009 - Are the berries of the Fuschia plant edible?
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