Imperial Mandarin

Imperial is Australia’s best known mandarin and it started life here, as a seedling in Sydney more than a century ago. The fruit is easy to peel, sweet, juicy and low in seeds, which is why it fills lunchboxes every winter.

It is an early variety, ripening from autumn into early winter. Plant it in full sun with soil that drains well, keep it watered and feed with a citrus fertiliser in spring and late summer. The tree has a weeping habit and grows to about three to four metres. Pair it with a later mandarin to stretch the season.