Riverside, California -
Parent Navel Orange Tree

Parent Navel Orange Tree

Quite a busy intersection, and the locals can be very impatient. [Randy, 06/17/2010]

[RA: We recently stopped by to pay our respects to our citrus elders, and parked behind the monument in a small lot. Couldn't tell if it was privately owned by the adjacent building, so we didn't linger long.]

Parent Navel Orange Tree

If you look closely at the Parent Navel Orange Tree, you'll see an interesting feature: Sometime before 1950, the roots of this tree began to die. It was decided to plant 16 small trees around the base of the original tree, grafting their trunks onto the trunk of the main tree. You can still see them today. [Kent Burtner, 04/26/2010]

[RA: That kind of Dr. Frankenstein ingenuity forces our important tree landmarks to keep living!]

Parent Navel Orange Tree

One of two original Navel Orange trees planted in 1873 that spawned California's entire citrus industry. Navel oranges have no seeds, so cuttings from original trees were used to start navel orange groves in So. Cal., and an industry grew. Every navel orange grown and eaten in California is a descendant of this tree. [Carroll Wills, 12/18/2002]

[RA: It's in a tiny fenced-in park with a marker and its own parking area. All of the traffic at this busy intersection must be good for the tree....]