Grapefruit (Citrus x paradisi)

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Grapefruit

Habit (mature) · Syrio / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Grapefruit

Citrus x paradisi

A broadleaf-evergreen citrus tree reaching 15-30 feet tall and wide, with glossy foliage, sharp thorns on its twigs, and highly fragrant white four-petaled flowers. The large fruit (over 3 inches across) ripens pale yellow, often patched with pink, over juicy flesh that ranges from near-white to deep red by cultivar. A subtropical tree hardy only to USDA zone 9a, it is grown outdoors across the citrus belt and as an overwintered container plant farther north.

Review: Source-backed

Climate fit: narrow (30/100)

Focal point

Edible

Structure

Container

Light

Full sun

Water

Consistent moisture

Mature size

180-360" tall · 240" apart

Hardy in zones

9a-11b

frosty to nearly frost-free winters

Summer heat range

Warm-Extreme

warm to extreme summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.

Native in Illinois

The NC State Plant Toolbox describes it as a rounded, spreading broadleaf-evergreen tree, 15-30 ft tall and wide, with thorny twigs and highly fragrant white four-petaled flowers, and notes it is drought tolerant once established.

Climate notes

Cold hardiness

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Won't grow here

2050

Zone 7b

Plotwright

Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)