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The sweet orange is a compact evergreen tree 20-30 ft (6.1-9.1 m) tall with a rounded, symmetrical crown spreading 15-20 ft (4.6-6.1 m) or so. The leaves are shiny and leathery, oblong to elliptic, up to 4 in (10.2 cm) long, and have narrow wings on their petioles (leaf stems). The twigs on many orange cultivars are thorny. Orange blossoms are white, very fragrant, and arranged in clusters of 1-6. They bloom in spring and give rise to oranges the following autumn or winter. Last year's oranges often are still on the trees when the new flowers are blooming. Among the many cultivars of oranges are 'Hamlin', a heavy producer of very juicy smooth-skinned fruits with few seeds that are harvested October through January; 'Valencia' is a thin-skinned juice orange grown commercially in California and Florida that produces March through July; 'Washington', the original "navel" orange, is grown mainly in California for the fresh fruit market and is harvested October through January; 'Pineapple' is the leading midseason commercial orange in Florida, fruiting December through February; and 'Parson Brown' which is a midseason juicy and seedy orange for dooryard planting that fruits October through December. The "blood" oranges are a group of cultivars with especially red flesh and hints of raspberry flavor. They require cool nights to develop the red color. 'Moro', Sanguinelli' and 'Tarocco' are examples. The 'Temple' orange is a hybrid between the sweet orange and the mandarin (C. reticulata).
The sweet orange is native originally to Vietnam, NW India and southern China. It is cultivated in subtropical and tropical areas throughout the world, especially in Brazil and the United States, which together account for over two-thirds of world production. In the continental US, commercial citrus production is mainly confined to zone 9B in Florida, California, the Rio Grande valley in Texas, southern Arizona and extreme southern Louisiana.
Culture
Usage
Features The orange blossom is the Florida state flower. Honeybees love orange blossoms and the honey they make is mild and delicious. The caterpillar of the giant swallowtail butterfly, one of North America's largest and most spectacular butterflies, relies solely on plants in the citrus family for food. The caterpillar, called an "orange dog", is itself a spectacular creature - it looks like a 2 in (5.1 cm) long white and brown mottled bird dropping until disturbed, at which time it extends a bizarre pair of bright orange antler-like "scent horns" (osmateria) that stink to high heaven. Oranges do not continue ripening after picking, so leave them on the tree until you're ready to use them. Cooler temperatures bring on the orange color, and oranges grown in the tropics remain green until gassed with ethylene. Freshly picked oranges are tastier than those bought in the market which usually have been "de-greened" with ethylene gas, washed with detergent, colored with orange dye, coated with wax, and stored for who-knows-how-long under refrigeration. Oranges are said to lower cholesterol and aid in the digestion of fatty foods. Unfortunately, the vitamin C in oranges is concentrated mainly in the peel and the white layer just under the peel. There are better sources of vitamin C. There are about 16 species in the genus, Citrus. See Floridata's Mandarin orange (C. reticulata) profile for a breakdown of the various species of edible citrus. Steve Christman 4/4/00; updated 11/23/03
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