2019 ASHS Annual Conference
ASHS Horticulture Hall of Fame
ASHS Horticulture Hall of Fame
Swingle was among the first USDA plant breeders. His crosses produced ‘Carrizo’ and ‘Swingle’, the most important US citrus rootstocks, grown on more than 400,000 acres. His citrus hybridizations created new categories, such as tangelos (grapefruit x tangerine). Swingle was an early advocate for permanent, living collections of crop plants and relatives, and helped plan the first U.S. Plant Introduction Station.
He identified dozens of new citrus species, and several genera, and produced the most important taxonomic treatise on the Rutaceae. Swingle was a USDA plant explorer for several years and the USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network lists him as the collector on 2054 accessions. He collected and established ‘Medjhool and ‘Deglet Nour’ dates, earning the designation of “father of the US date industry.” He introduced ‘Clementine’, a parent of many citrus cultivars. Swingle identified dozens of new species and several new genera and is the cited taxonomic authority. The genus Swinglea was named in his honor.
He assisted the Library of Congress to obtain more than 100,000 volumes for their Asian collection, and authored more than 250 publications.