# Trifoliate oranges **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 24, 2006, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trifoliate-oranges/377690 "2006-10-24T12:30:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bewildebeest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bewildebeest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bewildebeest)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trifoliate-oranges/377690/1 "2006-10-24T12:30:11Z")
Are trifoliate orange fruits (Poncirus trifoliata) good for anything? I know about making them into “lemonade”, but that’s hardly worth the pain of picking and squeezing them. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trifoliate-oranges/377690/2 "2006-10-24T12:40:04Z")
[Wiki sez](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifoliate_orange) > [@](#): > > The fruits are green, ripening to yellow, and 3-4 cm diameter, resembling a small orange, but with a finely downy surface. They are very bitter, not edible fresh, but can be made into marmalade, and when dried and powdered, they can be used as a condiment. More here [Chinese Bitter Orange](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_orange) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trifoliate-oranges/377690/3 "2006-10-24T13:17:16Z")
I had a small specimen of Poncirus trifoliata in the garden of my last hous. Wish I’d dug it up and brought it with me when I moved. Apparently, the fruits can be sliced and candied. I reckon you could probably make flavoured liqueur from them - same method as sloe gin; prick the fruits all over and put them in a big jar. Pour on enough gin (or vodka, or brandy) to cover them, add some sugar, put the lid on and leave to soak for six months, agitating once a week or so. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trifoliate-oranges/377690/4 "2006-10-24T18:48:50Z")
Get rid of them, then burn the plant, roots and all. They’re becoming a growing exotic plant problem. They’re starting to show up in floodplains in the forests. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trifoliate-oranges/377690/5 "2006-10-24T18:57:54Z")
Just to elaborate a bit, right now, trifoliate orange is on the “watch” list for most invasive species organizations in the eastern US. This means two things: 1) that, although they are not as ubiquitous as some other invasives (Japanese honyesuckle, Chinese privet, kudzu, Eurasian watermilfoil, etc.,) they **have been confirmed to reproduce in the wild**. This is the bad news. The good news is, 2) that we have potentially caught it in time to nip the problem in the bud, as it were. Give it another 20 years, and we’ll be seeing giant thickets of thorny, nasty trifoliate orange taking the place of native trees and shrubs. Get rid of them now. ---
**Author:** ![Bewildebeest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bewildebeest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bewildebeest)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trifoliate-oranges/377690/6 "2006-10-25T11:59:29Z")
[QUOTE=Ogre] Get rid of them, then burn the plant, roots and all. They’re becoming a growing exotic plant problem. They’re starting to show up in floodplains in the forests. [/QUOTE] This thing is 15 feet tall and COVERED in 3 inch long spines. Even pruning it lightly is an exercise in pain and blood letting. In the ~20 years I’ve had it, this is the first year any I’ve seen any seedlings around it. Still, I have heard that it can be invasive, especially further south so I’ll keep an eye on it. Thanks all who responded.