Rio Red Grapefruit Tree (Height: 2 - 3 FT)
The Rio Red Grapefruit Tree is an evergreen citrus tree that flourishes in USDA growing zones 8 to 11 and can grow to up to 20-25 ft tall. This grapefruit tree does not require elaborate pruning or special care to start producing large crops of grapefruit. Also, since it grows faster than other grapefruit trees, you don’t have to wait long for the white, fragrant blooms to develop and mature and deliver a bountiful grapefruit harvest. Rio Red Grapefruits are 5-6 inches in diameter and have a slightly pebbled pale yellow surface with irregular blushes of pink-red. The flesh is tasty and sweet with a slight hint of tartness. This grapefruit’s flesh is juicy and has a deep salmon-red color with very few seeds if any. The Rio Red Grapefruit tree was developed by treating Ruby Red seedlings at the Citrus Center in Weslaco, a research arm of the old Texas A&I system. This variety was discovered by R.A. Hensz in 1976 and was determined to have exceeded its predecessors in all aspects as it is sweeter than the white and other red varieties with just a teeny-weeny hint of tartness. This grapefruit also has an attractive dark-pink flesh that persists throughout the season. The Rio Red grapefruit tree is more cold-resistant and grows faster than other grapefruit trees. By 1990 almost all white Grapefruit Trees in Texas and were replaced by Rio Red Grapefruit Trees.