'Flying Dragon' is one of the most cold-hardy cultivars of orange trees. This tree's parent plant is native to China and is in the Rutaceae (citrus) family. This shrub can grow 8 to 15 feet tall, rarely 20 feet, and 16-20 feet wide. This dense shrub has crooked branches covered in large downward curved spines. It blooms in spring with citrus-scented flowers that produce fuzzy fruits that are very sour. 'Flying Dragon' can grow in sun to part shade in average well-drained soils. The fruits will reseed, so this plant is often grown in a container to prevent this. It can be used to form an impenetrable hedge also and adds winter interest. The very sour fruits can't be eaten raw but can be used to make jams and jellies. They are high in vitamin C and antioxidants. Citrus trifoliata is considered invasive in AL, GA, and SC. Please consider planting native plants. See some suggestions to the left. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. Weedy and potentially invasive for NC. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common citrus insect and related pests. VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee. More information on Citrus trifoliata .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.