Q: My father has a tangelo tree that will sometimes have a second bloom in the summer. This year on one of the branches there are two grapefruit! Usually I would think if there is another fruit it would come from a branch that sprouted from below the graft but this did not. He picked and cut one open and the flesh was a very light orange and tasted like a bland tangelo.
A: The tangelo is a hybrid citrus created by crossing a tangerine with a pomelo or grapefruit. Occasionally hybrids or part of them revert back to one of the original parents by producing plant parts such as foliage, flowers, or fruit that more resemble the parent plants. These growths are sometimes referred to as a ‘sport.’ So the odd fruit is likely a sport but probably something other than a pure grapefruit. Hopefully, they taste good. If not, you can prune that branch out of the tree or just let it be.
Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. Questions may be emailed to tucsongardensage@gmail.com
