Ellendale
Origin
Burrum, Queensland approx. 1878. Seedling believed to be a natural mandarin x orange hybrid( tangor). Various clonal selections exist such as Koster, Herps and Robinson, and small differences in fruit quality have been demonstrated.
Type
Mid season tangor type.
Market
Fresh, domestic and export but currently declining in importance as a commercial variety. Variability in fruit quality has been a significant problem.
Internal quality
Flesh has a high sugar content, but is also high in acid. Harvest and storage time have a large impact on the eating quality of fruit. Acid content declines during storage enabling shipment of this variety to distant markets where it can arrive noticeably more palatable than when it was picked. Seed numbers vary widely, with cross-pollination leading to increased seediness.
External quality
Fruit is large, with relatively smooth skin texture. Fruit from southern production areas is more difficult to peel than that from Queensland. External colour is deep orange. The skin is susceptible to spray, wind and leafrub damage. Fruit can be stored on the tree for an extended period however this is seldom practiced anymore because of the overlapping maturity of later varieties, particularly Murcott.
Postharvest performance
Fruit displays excellent postharvest storage potential, which has made it an important export variety in the past. It can be stored for upwards of 3 months at 3 to 4 degrees C without showing rind browning or other problems.
Field performance
Trees have weak crotches and are prone to limb splitting. Limbs are sometimes tied and/or bolted together to prevent tree collapse. Alternate bearing can be a major problem with this variety.
On deep well-drained virgin soil, sweet orange is the preferred rootstock, giving excellent fruit quality. Troyer is preferred in replant situations, and Swingle has also proven satisfactory. Cleopatra and Emperor have been tried as rootstocks but are not as productive as Sweet Orange and Troyer. Rough Lemon is not recommended because of shorter tree life, and possible aggravation of the inherently high acid levels of this variety.
The satisfactory performance of this variety is apparently very dependent on environmental conditions. It has never been an important variety in coastal areas because of fruit marking, splitting and small size. High acid levels have been a problem in some cooler production areas. Careful irrigation management is important in the later stages of fruit maturity to avoid high juice acid levels.