Name: Calamondin citrus often called a calamondin orange.

Type of Plant: These are a cross between a mandarin orange (Citrus reticulate) and a kumquat (Fortunella margarita) and like a kumquat they are a pleasing combination of edible skin and sweet and sour flavors. The fruits are just a bit smaller than a golf ball and are both decorative and prolific.

Why I love this plant: I love the Calamondin citrus because it’s one of the easiest edible plants to grow indoors. The fruit can be used in baking, with savory dishes such as fish and chicken, in a fruit sauce or in cocktails. It’s also a great plant because it’s flowering at the same time when the fruit is ripening. You can get fruit and fragrance all at the same time.

A Word to the Wise: Like any citrus that you’re growing indoors, keep this plant evenly moist but never constantly wet. Fertilize regularly 12 months a year and be on the lookout for citrus mites and scale.  Also, snip the fruit with a scissors that clip the stems instead of pulling it off the plant. This prevents breakage and keeps the fruit intact which causes it to last longer once picked.

If your plant is in flower indoors, be sure to pollinate these flowers with a soft paintbrush every other day.

This plant was covered with bright orange fruit on my kitchen steps all summer. Now it is cheerful indoors as well.

One of the wonderful things about most citrus plants is that they flower at the same time they are bearing fruit. Flavor and fragrance, all at the same time!