Iyokan

brad16 says...
Hi Julian,

It's doubtful to be available in Australia. It's a known host to Citrus Canker (Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri).

Oddly enough, it's a progeny of the Dancy mandarin/tangerine. That's one I'd like to get my hands on :)

Good luck with your search.

brad16 says...
The problem with the canker isn't so much to do with physically growing the tree. I meant it with respect to Australian quarantine laws.

For the cost and red-tape of importation, an imported variety really needs something to make it stand out in the market to guarantee a financial pay-back.

A good portion of Iyokan's worth is specific to Japanese culture, and would be lost here in Australia. On its own merits as a mandarin, it doesn't really offer anything significantly more than what is already available here.
In Japan, its popularity is bolstered by its cultural symbolism of luck (when marketed in a pentagonal shape). Outside of Japan, that value is lost, along with the market share that it assures.

On its own merits its commercial success is dubious, and not really worth the financial risk of bringing it in and getting it established. On a commercial scale, it'd cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, whereas to re-introduce Dancy on a commercial scale would be a fraction of that price.

I've considered importation myself. On the smallest scale (a mere 1 square metre) costs $10,000 - $15,000 and around two years in quarantine. A $20,000 backyard tree would really need to be something special! And if it's not too unlike other commonly available varieties, it's almost impossible to justify, commercially or not.