Citrus aurantium

A small, evergreen tree that originates, despite what people think, from South Vietnam. This is actually a small citrus tree with very bitter, inedible fruit. The tree is outstanding for several impressive displays: its foliage, as one expects from a citrus tree, is green and fresh year round. (Remember that watering needs to be increased in summer!) The white flowering in spring is beautiful and fragrant. It bears a very significant flower that is an important source of pollen for bees. After flowering, the tree bears small citrus, round, orange citrus fruits that resemble small versions of oranges. Due to its great resilience, the tree has been used as a stock for grafting different citrus cultivars for use in orchards. It is used to make essential oil as well as to make jams. Its flowers are used to produce neroli oil and orange flower water Many medicinal properties are attributed to it, some of which have been studied and some of which are still under examination.

Interestingly, this tree serves as the emblem of the city of Rehovot, which originally had an abundance of citrus orchards. In Israel, it is frequently planted in cities to add character and as a symbol of agriculture, or a return to one’s roots if there used to be many orchards in the area, like in the Sharon plain.