Citrus bergamia - Bergamot

Due to its noble fragrance and to the fact that it reliably produces a rich harvest of fruits every year the Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) is our personal favourite among the Citrus plants. Its origin, however, is not known for sure. It is assumed that the Bergamot is a hybrid of the Bitter Orange ( C. aurantium) and Lemon (C. limon) or Mexican Lime ( C. aurantiifolia). Best known varieties are ‘Fantastico’ and ‘Feminello’. The Bergamot is fast-growing plant with upright growing branches without thorns. The leaves are large and winged. Also, they are rich in essential oils (Petitgrain). Its refreshing aroma consisting of various components still is used nowadays by cosmetics- or food industry: e.g. for Eau de Cologne (4711), flavoured tea like ‘Earl Grey’, Cointreau and many more. Also, the 2-3 cm large flowers are very fragant: their essential oils are extracted by destilling and sold as Neroli. The fruits have a yellow peel and grow to the size of an Orange or Grapefruit. Its characteristic is a short appendix at the navel. The juicy-sour, yellow peel of fruit is ideal for preparing ice tea.

Quality: intensely fragrant flowers & fruits; edible & decorative fruits for kitchen/ cosmetics; reliably rich harvest every year; evergreen & glossy & fragrant leaves
Use: in pots from April / May outside on balcony, terrace and in the garden- during winter in a winter quarter or greenhouse; all year in a heated greenhouse or bright room