Fukumoto Navel Orange Tree
Fukumoto Navel Orange Tree
Fukumoto Navel Orange
The Rich, Early-Coloring Jewel of Japan
Discovered in the historic groves of Wakayama, Japan, the Fukumoto Navel originated as a rare, spontaneous bud sport. The grower, Shisei Fukumoto, first noticed the branch because its fruit colored up almost a month earlier than the surrounding Washington Navels—a crucial trait that allowed the fruit to be harvested before the damaging winter frosts of Wakayama. The fruit later caught the attention of Dr. Bill Bitters of UC Riverside, who personally selected and brought the variety to the United States in 1983 specifically for its large size and distinctly redder rind color. It has since proven to be an outstanding performer for home orchards, showing particular excellence in the microclimates of Northern California.
Like the classic Washington Navel from which it arose, the Fukumoto produces fruit that is exceptionally delicious. While commercial growers strip the trees in mid-autumn to maximize profit during the early market window, home gardeners enjoy a more flexible timeline. The fruit holds well on the tree into winter, allowing you to harvest gradually and enjoy its peak flavor over an extended early-season window.
My Personal Take: If I could choose any navel variety and could only plant one tree, I'd plant a Fukumoto. Of all the navel oranges I have ever tasted, it is my absolute favorite. When I grew it at my house in the Santa Clara Valley, that tree produced the best navel oranges I have ever grown.
The Flavor & Sensory Experience
- A Flavor That Evolves: Fukumoto develops a rich sugar profile. Because peak flavor is heavily dictated by your unique local microclimate and year-to-year weather, this variety allows you to sample fruit across a wide winter-into-spring window to find the perfect sugar-to-acid balance in your own yard.
- Striking Visual Appeal: True to why Dr. Bitters selected it, the fruit features a gorgeous rind that is noticeably redder and more vibrant than a standard navel, making it a beautiful contrast in the garden.
- Classic Navel Qualities: Inside, the large fruits feature the texture and juice content you expect from a premium navel orange—perfect for either fresh eating or juicing.
The Backyard Advantage
- Extended Harvest Freedom: You control the calendar. You can begin harvesting the fruit as soon as the rind colors up, or leave them to pick gradually throughout the winter months before the weather warms.
- The Perfect Companion Tree: Because Fukumoto colors up and hits its initial maturity early, it pairs beautifully in a home orchard with the classic Washington Navel. Planting both allows you to extend your fresh backyard citrus season.
- Rootstock and Fruit Quality: This semi-dwarfing rootstock is chosen specifically for its positive impact on flavor, consistently producing fruit with high sugar concentrations and a rich flavor profile.
Variety Specifications
| Type | Early-Season Navel Orange (Citrus sinensis) |
| Origin | Wakayama, Japan (Spontaneous Bud Sport, Imported by Dr. Bill Bitters in 1983) |
| Regional Performance | Highly recommended for Northern California and traditional citrus zones. |
| Maturity Profile | Reaches peak sweetness almost a month before Washington Navel; exceptionally early to hit color-break. |
| Harvest Window | Late autumn through winter, depending on local microclimates. |
| Tree Size & Habit | Suitable for home orchards and standard spaces; easily kept to a manageable size with routine structural pruning. |
Primed for Growth
- Container Size: Grown in a 4" x 4" x 8" air-pruning pot.
- Supercharged Roots: Air-pruning technology prevents root-binding, creating a dense, fibrous, and incredibly robust root system that eliminates transplant shock.
- Expertly Structured: Pruned early to develop a low, sturdy scaffold branch system, ensuring your citrus tree naturally grows into a beautiful, balanced shape.
- Rapid Establishment: Because of this superior root architecture, the tree won't stall out or hesitate—it is engineered to immediately anchor in and start pushing new growth the moment you plant it.
Certified Health & Shipping Compliance
- Elite Health Guarantee: Grafted in California inside a USDA APHIS-approved insect-resistant structure, this tree remains entirely within a secure, protected facility from grafting until it is boxed for delivery. This unbroken chain of biosecurity guarantees zero exposure to outside pests and utilizes certified, disease-free budwood from rigorously tested parent stock.
- Maximum Protection: This strict adherence to federal and state agricultural laws ensures you receive a structurally sound, perfectly healthy tree completely free of disease.
- 48-State Compliance: Because of these elite biosecurity standards, this tree is fully certified to ship directly to your door in 48 states.
- Shipping Restrictions: Due to strict state quarantine laws, we unfortunately cannot ship this tree to Texas or Florida.