Orange
Citrus × sinensis, and others
Family: Rutaceae
The sweet orange is a hybrid between pomelo (Citrus maxima) and mandarin (Citrus reticulata) and originated in a region encompassing Southern China, Northeast India, and Myanmar, and the earliest mention of the sweet orange was in Chinese literature in 314 BC. As of 1987, orange trees were found to be the most cultivated fruit tree in the world. Orange trees are widely grown in tropical and subtropical climates for their sweet fruit. The fruit of the orange tree can be eaten fresh, or processed for its juice or fragrant peel. As of 2012, sweet oranges accounted for approximately 70% of citrus production.
Sweet oranges have a distinct origin from the bitter orange, which arose independently, perhaps in the wild, from a cross between pure mandarin and pomelo parents. Mandarin oranges and tangarines are another species, Citrus reticulata. Bitter or Seville oranges are considered to be a cross between the pomelo, Citrus maxima, and the mandarin orange, Citrus reticulata.
In Europe, the Moors introduced the orange to the Iberian Peninsula, which was known as Al-Andalus, with large-scale cultivation starting in the 10th century, as evidenced by complex irrigation techniques specifically adapted to support orange orchards. Citrus fruits—among them the bitter orange—were introduced to Sicily in the 9th century during the period of the Emirate of Sicily, but the sweet orange was unknown until the late 15th century or the beginnings of the 16th century, when Italian and Portuguese merchants brought orange trees into the Mediterranean area. Shortly afterward, the sweet orange quickly was adopted as an edible fruit. It was considered a luxury food grown by wealthy people in private conservatories, called orangeries. By 1646, the sweet orange was well known throughout Europe.
DESCRIPTION & TYPES
Oranges are evergreen trees and vary in size. The size of the orange may also depend on the rootstock it is grafted to. Always refer to the labels of the citrus you purchase for mature size.
SWEET ORANGES
Washington Navel: winter fruits, seedless and easy to peel.
Trovita: winter into spring fruits, medium-sized, few seeds, thin skinned fruit, heavy producer, a mutation of Washington Navel but has no navel.
Cara Cara Pink Navel Orange: fall into winter fruits, early-ripening "pink" Navel Orange with medium red colored flesh.
Lane Late Navel Orange: winter fruits, great choice for oranges to peel and eat or juice in the summer, fruit stores on tree into summer.
Robertson Navel Orange: winter fruits, early and heavy bearing.
Shamouti Orange (Jaffa / Palestine): spring fruits, very few seeds, fabled orange from Middle East.
Valencia Orange: summer fruits, large fruit is sweet but slightly more acidic than the Washington Navel, 15 months to ripen, stores well on the tree into the fall months.
Midknight Valencia Orange: seedless version of traditional Valencia ripens in the summer months, fruit holds on the tree well and can be picked into the fall.
Smith Red Valencia: winter/spring fruits, have few seeds, attractive red-blushed rind color.
BLOOG ORANGES
Moro Blood Orange: spring-ripening with burgundy flesh, an Italian variety which holds its fruit in clusters, making it an attractive ornamental, very productive and vigorous with early maturity, more tart than traditional oranges.
Sanquinelli Blood Orange: early spring ripening fruit, deep red juice and rind, tart, spicy flavor, fruit stores well on tree.
Tarocco Blood Orange: early spring fruits, largest fruit size of the blood oranges, fruit is juicy, with few seeds, sweet/tart when mature.
BITTER ORANGES
Bergamot orange: Citrus bergamia: a fragrant fruit the size of an orange, with a yellow or green color similar to a lime, depending on ripeness. Though often used in perfumery, the fruits are used for numerous aperitifs/digestifs, and is the citrus used to make earl grey tea.
Seville orange: Citrus × aurantium: also used in flavoring numerous aperitifs/digestifs and for perfumery, this is the marmalade orange that the Spanish spread all over the world. It is the most common heritage citrus tree in Tucson.
Myrtle-leafed Orange: Citrus myrtifolia: fruit of the tree resemble small oranges. It has a bitter flavor and is commonly called by its Italian name, chinotto. It is an essential flavoring agent of most Italian amari, of the popular Campari aperitif, and of several brands of carbonated soft drinks that are generically called "chinotto".
HYBRIDS (hard to find)
Kiyomi (Citrus unshiu × C. sinensis): a Japanese hybrid of a Miyagawa Wase (satsuma) and a sweet orange. Ripens mid to late March. The flavor is similar to that of a mandarin, while the aroma is similar to that of an orange.
Tangor (Citrus reticulata x C. sinensis): has thick rind that is easy to peel with bright orange pulp, and flavor that is sour-sweet and full.
MANDARINS
Gold Nugget Mandarin: spring/summer fruit, fruit is seedless, richly flavored and easy to peel, remarkably frost tolerant trees begin bearing in March, unlike many other mandarins, fruit holds well on the tree through summer, distinct bumpy peel holds delectable, sweet fruit that ripens in spring.
Tango Mandarin: January - March fruit, this Clementine type is basically W. Murcott Mandarin without seeds, deep orange colored fruit are smooth skinned, fruit holds well on the tree through April.
Owari Satsuma Mandarin: December/January fruit, seedless and easy to peel, hardiest of all mandarins (28°F), slower growing tree.
Dancy Tangerine: winter fruiting with some seeds, easy to peel. Tree has finer foliage and upright habit.
Clementine Mandarin (Algerian): spring-ripening fruit, very heat tolerant tree.
Tahoe Mandarin: January/February fruits, seedless variety, easy to peel, sweet, juicy with a unique flavor, deep red-orange coloring on the skin peel and flesh.
Yosemite Mandarin: January/April fruits, seedless variety, easy to peel, with dark orange coloring,
Murcott Mandarin (Florida Honey): also known as Afourer, this spring ripening Moroccan mandarin peels easily and has great sprightly flavor.
California Honey Mandarin: early spring-ripening mandarin which sometimes need thinning for larger fruit. Rich, sweet flavor.
Kinnow Mandarin: spring ripening, sweet juicy fruit with seeds, upright growing tree with dense willow-like foliage, major commercial variety in Pakistan.
Kara Mandarin: cross between a King tagor and an Owari satsuma. The fruit peels fairly well and has a flesh that is tender, juicy, rich and distinctive.
Page Mandarin: spring ripening mandarin has larger fruit than many mandarins, is easy to peel and nearly seedless with spritely flavor. A cross between Minneola Tangelo and Clementine Mandarin. Round fruit has deep orange rind, which is thin but can be peeled, more productive with nearby pollinator trees: mandarins or the Valencia Orange.
Pixie Mandarin: a late-maturing variety with upright, open growth habit. easy to peel and moderately juicy with pleasant, mild flavor.
Kishu Mandarin: early ripening mandarin is popular in Japan. A very sweet, seedless fruit, easy to peel fruit that ripens earlier than Owari Satsuma.
HYBRIDS & SATSUMA:
Satsuma Mandarin (Citrus unshiu): one of the sweetest of all citrus, usually seedless, and is about the size of other mandarin oranges (Citrus reticulata). The rind is often smooth to slightly rough with the shape of a medium to small flattened sphere. Satsumas usually have 10 to 12 easily separable segments with tough membranes.
Kiyomi: Citrus unshiu × Citrus sinensis: sweet fruit no seeds. The time of ripening is mid to late March. The flavor is similar to that of a Satsuma mandarin, while the aroma is similar to that of an orange.
Cam sàhn: Citrus reticulata × maxima: Cam Sàhn means Vietnamese for "terracotta orange", although the fruit is more akin to a mandarin or tangerine. The fruit may be easily recognized by its thick skin, which is typically bright green, although the skin may also be partly green and partly orange, or entirely orange. Its flesh is orange, dark and sweet. This is the most popular orange variety in Vietnam.
Tangelo: C. reticulata × C. maxima or ×C. paradisi: Sometimes referred to as honeybells, they are the size of an adult fist, have a tart and tangy taste, and are juicy at the expense of flesh. They generally have loose skin and are easier to peel than oranges, readily distinguished from them by a characteristic "nipple" at the stem. Tangelos can be used as a substitute for mandarin oranges or sweet oranges.
Tangor: C. reticulata × C. sinensis: The name "tangor" is a formation from the "tang" of tangerine and the "or" of "orange". Also called the temple orange, its thick rind is easy to peel and its bright orange pulp is sour-sweet and full-flavored.
Ugli Fruit: Citrus reticulata x C. paradisi: usually slightly larger than a grapefruit (but this varies) and has fewer seeds. The flesh is very juicy and tends toward the sweet side of the tangerine rather than the bitter side of its grapefruit lineage, with a fragrant rind. More sour than an orange, but less bitter than a grapefruit. Also called Jamaican tangelo, where it originates.
Yuzu: Citrus cavaleriei × C. reticulata: believed to have originated in central China as a hybrid of mandarin orange and the ichang papeda. The arrestingly aromatic fruits range from fist to grapefruit size. Yuzu forms an upright shrub or small tree, which commonly has many large thorns. Very unusual flavor used often in Japanese and Korean cuisine.
USES
Oranges, whose flavor may vary from sweet to sour, are commonly peeled and eaten fresh raw or squeezed for juice. Orange juice is obtained by squeezing the fruit on a special tool (a juicer or squeezer) and collecting the juice in a tray underneath.
The outermost layer of the rind can be thinly grated with a zester to produce orange zest. Zest is popular in cooking because it contains oils and has a strong flavor similar to that of the orange pulp. The white part of the rind, including the pith, is a source of pectin and has nearly the same amount of vitamin C as the flesh and other nutrients.
Marmalade preserves are traditionally made with Seville oranges, which are less sweet. All parts of the fruit are used: the pith and pips (separated and placed in a muslin bag) are boiled in a mixture of juice, slivered peel, sliced-up flesh, sugar, and water to extract their pectin, which helps the conserve to set.
Oranges are also used in a variety of sauces, added to salads, and are made into numerous types of preserves used as flavoring, jams, and teas.
Heres a list of 43 orange recipes for inspiration
PRESERVATION
Oranges can be dehydrated in wheels, which has a lot of use, especially in Mexican cuisine. You can also freeze the peeled, and separated fruits.
GROWING
Oranges should be planted in amended soil, in full sun. Plant appreciate mulching so long as you don’t bury the root flare of the tree.
How often you water depends on your soil, and the method of watering that you use. In winter, once a month deeply is sufficient. As it warms up in the spring, go to every other week, again…deeply. In the height of summer you might water once a week to every two weeks, deeply. Pull back watering in September to harden off new growth.
Feed citrus trees with an organic, general purpose fertilizer once a month February through August. Or you can feed three times a year in February, May, and August.
Pruning isn’t necessary, in our opinion, except for grafted trees—prune any branches that emerge from below the graft scar, as these branches will not produce the fruits you aim to grow, but from the root stock.
Oranges vary in their cold tolerance levels. Check labels of the plants you purchase for detailed information on the hardiness of your variety.
You might notice a few species of butterfly on your trees, and their larvae. Citrus trees provide as larval hosts for a few species of swallowtail, especially the giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)—the larvae look like bird poop, an excellent camouflage to protect themselves from predators.