Avana apireno (VI 688)

Willowleaf-type mandarin. <b>Origin:</b> originating in Sicily, Italy either in the 1800’s or in 1962 (ambiguous passport data), The Instituto Sperimentale per l’Agrumicoltura, Acireale, in Sicily, Italy, donated budwood to INRA, San Giuliano, Corsica, France, in 1983; received by the Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP) in 1997, released as VI 688 in 2010. <b>Fruit:</b> flattened shape like Avana tardivo (average length/width ratio of 0.82); pale orange rind; flesh medium orange; average 3.1 seeds per fruit; ripens by early December in Lindcove, Exeter, CA. <b>Tree:</b> vigorous (5.0 ft in height with a 5-ft diameter, 4-year-old trees at Riverside, CA) dense and spreading.