Fruit in the first impression
The product arrives with mature or developing fruit, although number and colour naturally vary by season.
1
Citrus × microcarpa Oriana 12cm
Normal price
€24,00
What does the legal guarantee mean for plants?
The legal guarantee concerns the plant’s conformity at delivery. It is not a guarantee of survival or growth for two years. Each issue is assessed taking into account the nature of the plant, its care and the conditions in which it is kept. Your statutory rights remain unaffected.
Citrus × microcarpaOriana
The smallest fruiting citrus you have seen — and immediately want 🌿
- Compact potted fruiting espalier
- Supplied carrying fruit
- Strongly fragrant white blossom
- Small orange sharply flavoured fruit
Citrus × microcarpa Oriana is a calamondin already resembling a small living work of horticulture: its flat espalier crown arranges glossy leaves, fragrant white blossom and orange fruit along clean horizontal lines. Supplied carrying fruit, it brings immediate colour and the feeling of a mature citrus in minimal depth. Its sharply acidic aromatic juice suits drinks and cooking, while the trained form turns a bright wall into a genuine fruiting scene.
Keep it permanently potted, with its frame parallel to a bright wall and a small air gap, so the fruiting pattern stays crisp without developing into a free crown.
What makes it special
Oriana stands apart because its fruiting crown is already trained as an architectural plane.
Minimal depth, maximum line
Horizontal arms spread in one plane and use space in front of a bright wall efficiently.
Fragrance and acidity for the kitchen
Small fruit gives intense juice and aromatic peel, best used in modest amounts.
Why you will love it: It combines the satisfaction of an already fruiting plant with the clarity of a form designed for narrow space.
In its pot, in your spacePositioning & plant combinationsA permanent pot before a bright wall or sheltered glazed side, with access to both faces of the espalier.
Where it performs best
Give the crown plane direct sun and do not press the frame against a hot wall. The rear face needs access for water, air and pest inspection.
Compatible combinations
A white climber, airy daisies and a silver cascade in separate pots complement the flat fruiting design.
- Trachelospermum jasminoides — Fragrant white flowers frame it on a separate support and echo summer perfume.
- Erigeron karvinskianus — Tiny daisies soften the geometry below without hiding the stem.
- Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls’ — Silver stems cascade from a neighbouring pot and emphasise orange fruit.
Care at a glance
Light
A very bright position with direct sun on the front plane and diffuse light behind.
Water
Water evenly while it carries fruit, also checking the side shaded by the frame.
Climate & hardiness
Protect from frost and a cold wall; overwinter in good light at roughly 5–12°C.
Safety
Ripe fruit is edible but very acidic; wash rind and fruit and use modest quantities.
Detailed pot careComplete permanent-pot guidePotting on, drainage, watering, feeding, winter protection and compact growth.
A frame without pressure
Check ties twice yearly and loosen them before marking wood. Arms should be supported, not constricted.
Watering a flat crown
Water the roots rather than wall or blossom. The rear surface dries more slowly and needs a separate check.
Feeding fruit
Use a complete citrus feed from spring and continue while growth remains active, always following its label.
Thinning the load
If a small horizontal arm bends, remove one developing fruit rather than adding a tight tie.
Winter orientation
In protected quarters face the plane towards light and leave at least a hand’s width from glass or wall.
Rear face
Inspect the unseen side frequently for scale insects, dead leaves and shoots growing towards the wall.
From flower to basketFruiting & harvestPollination, fruit load, ripening and picking for a compact potted citrus.
Pollination
Self-fertile; one espalier is sufficient. As flowers are exposed in one plane, insects or a brush reach them easily.
When it ripens
Fruit turns orange gradually and may remain on the plant for months rather than dropping immediately.
How to harvest
Support the horizontal arm and clip fruit with a short stalk. Begin with the deepest orange one.
How to use it
Juice replaces lemon or lime in small doses, while washed rind flavours marmalade and drinks.
In permanent pot culture: Existing fruit is part of the presentation. In the compact permanent pot, remove only fruit that bends a horizontal arm.
Compact fruiting formHow to keep it compact and fruitingAfter harvest, once cold weather has passed and before the new flush lengthens
When to prune
After harvest, once cold weather has passed and before the new flush lengthens
Pruning keeps the established espalier compact. Retain stem and horizontal arms, remove growth towards the wall and shorten only one extension leaving the final frame.
01
Clean
Stem and two levels
Action: Remove a basal sucker or a shoot arising behind the stem.
Retain: Retain the central axis and every tied horizontal arm.
02
Balance
Clean rear face
Action: Remove flush one branch growing towards the wall or crossing the plane.
Retain: Retain laterals moving left, right or slightly forwards.
03
Limit
Stopping at the final frame
Action: After fruiting, return one long vertical or lateral extension to a short lateral within the frame.
Retain: Retain permanent arms, loose ties and every short flowering tip.
New / productive — retainShoot selected for removalCut point
Clean tools
Use sharp, clean tools suited to the diameter of the wood.
Free ties
Retie with soft material in a figure eight, leaving room for wood to thicken.
Do not do this: Do not cut the main horizontal arms for symmetry; they are the permanent espalier framework.
Permanent pot cultureHow the compact form developsA practical path from the current pot to a maintained compact fruiting form.
A stable compact frame
Roots settle and existing arms remain tied without extending the frame.
Filling with short laterals
Leaves and blossom fill above and below the horizontal lines rather than beyond them.
Maintained fruiting pattern
Orange fruit is distributed across a shallow crown that remains compact and moves with its pot.
Maintained potted form & dimensions
Final maintained potted formHeight 55–80cmSpread 50–75cmCompact two-tier espalier
Oriana retains a central stem and two compact horizontal fruiting tiers above its pot.
Flowering & fruiting through the year
Blossom and fruit in successive flushesEspalierSupplied fruitingEvergreen
BlossomFragrant white flowers open on short laterals along horizontal arms.
Orange planeSmall ripe fruit is distributed as bright points before glossy leaves.
The frame is not extended into a larger crown; new shoots are tied only into gaps or returned to a short lateral.
What to expect in its pot: Roots settle and existing arms remain tied without extending the frame.
History & originCultivar originOriana is a modern espalier presentation of the old Asian calamondin hybrid.
Calamondin arose long ago in Asia from natural hybridisation between kumquat and mandarin-like citrus. From China it spread particularly through the Philippines and surrounding South-East Asia, where its small acidic fruit became an everyday flavouring.
In the United States it entered USDA collections and the name calamondin became established in English-language horticulture. Repeated flowering, fruit that hangs for months and a dense small-leaved crown made it a classic indoor-outdoor citrus.
Citrina gave the name Oriana to its compact commercial presentation. This plant goes a step further: it is trained as an espalier and supplied carrying fruit. The botanical identity remains Citrus × microcarpa, while Oriana describes the modern product form.
Greenleaf for Plant NerdsScientific details nobody asked forBotanical detail behind the plant's appearance and behaviour
Nucellar embryony
In calamondin, nucellar cells around the embryo sac can form extra embryos without fertilisation. One seed may therefore contain clonal seedlings beside the sexual embryo.
Orange through pigment reorganisation
During ripening, flavedo chlorophyll breaks down and carotenoids accumulate. Fruit is not merely ‘painted’; rind plastids change their whole function.
Frequently asked questions
Six practical answers about permanent pot culture, fruiting, winter care and compact pruning for this exact citrus.
01Will it always carry the same number of fruit?
No. It is supplied fruiting, but number, size and colour naturally vary with season and transport.
02Does it need another plant?
No, it is self-fertile and the espalier can crop alone.
03Is the fruit edible?
Yes, once fully orange and washed, but it is sharply acidic and used chiefly for flavour.
04How large does the espalier remain?
Using the existing frame as its final limit, aim for roughly 55–80cm high, 50–75cm wide and shallow depth.
05How is the espalier retained?
With soft loose ties, inspection of the rear face and selective removal of shoots leaving the plane.
06When is it pruned?
After harvest and cold weather, without cutting the permanent horizontal arms.
📦 Your plant travels protected
Every order is prepared with care so your plant arrives upright, secure and safe.
Individual protection
Plants in pots with a capacity of 3 litres or more are placed in individual boxes that hold the pot securely and reduce the risk of tipping over.
Sturdy packaging
We use reinforced cardboard designed to protect against impacts and vibration during transport.