(Specifically, the Sweet Orange) Is the Fruit of the Citrus Species Citrus

The orange (specifically, the sweet orange) is the fruit of the citrus species Citrus × sinensis in the family Rutaceae.[2] The fruit of the Citrus sinensis is considered a sweet orange, whereas the fruit of the Citrus aurantium is considered a bitter orange. The orange is a hybrid, possibly between pomelo (Citrus maxima) and mandarin (Citrus reticulata), which has been cultivated since ancient times.[3] As of 1987, orange trees were found to be the most cultivated fruit tree in the world.[4] 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.[5] As of 2012, sweet oranges accounted for approximately 70% of citrus production.[6] In 2010, 68.3 million metric tons of oranges were grown worldwide, production being particularly prevalent in Brazil and the U.S. states of California[7] and Florida.[8] Contents [hide] 1 Botanical information and terminology 2 Etymology 3 Varieties o 3.1 Common oranges . 3.1.1 Valencia . 3.1.2 Hart's Tardiff Valencia . 3.1.3 Hamlin . 3.1.4 Other varieties of common oranges o 3.2 Navel oranges . 3.2.1 Cara cara navels . 3.2.2 Other varieties of navels o 3.3 Blood oranges . 3.3.1 Other varieties of blood oranges o 3.4 Acidless oranges 4 Attributes o 4.1 Nutritional value o 4.2 Acidity o 4.3 Grading 5 History 6 Cultivation o 6.1 Climate o 6.2 Propagation . 6.2.1 Principal rootstocks . 6.2.2 Other rootstock varieties in the United States o 6.3 Harvest o 6.4 Degreening o 6.5 Storage o 6.6 Pests and diseases . 6.6.1 Cottony cushion scale . 6.6.2 Citrus greening disease . 6.6.3 Greasy spot 7 Production 8 Juice and other products o 8.1 Products made from oranges 9 See also 10 References 11 External links Botanical information and terminology Orange fruit and cross section All citrus trees belong to the single genus Citrus and remain almost entirely interfertile. This means that there is only one superspecies that includes grapefruits, lemons, limes, oranges, and various other types and hybrids.[9] As the interfertility of oranges and other citrus has produced numerous hybrids, bud unions, and cultivars, their taxonomy is fairly controversial, confusing or inconsistent.[3][6] The fruit of any citrus tree is considered a hesperidium (a kind of modified berry) because it has numerous seeds, is fleshy and soft, derives from a single ovary and is covered by a rind originated by a rugged thickening of theovary wall.[10][11] Different names have been given to the many varieties of the genus. Orange applies primarily to the sweet orange – Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck. The orange tree is an evergreen, flowering tree, with an average height of 9 to 10 m (30 to 33 ft), although some very old specimens can reach 15 m (49 ft).[12] Its oval leaves, alternately arranged, are 4 to 10 cm (1.6 to 3.9 in) long and have crenulate margins.[13]Although the sweet orange presents different sizes and shapes varying from spherical to oblong, it generally has ten segments (carpels) inside, and contains up to six seeds (or pips)[14] and a porous white tissue – called pith or, more properly, mesocarp or albedo—lines its rind.[15] When unripe, the fruit is green. The grainy irregular rind of the ripe fruit can range from bright orange to yellow-orange, but frequently retains green patches or, under warm climate conditions, remains entirely green. Like all other citrus fruits, the sweet orange is non-climacteric. The Citrus sinensis is subdivided into four classes with distinct characteristics: common oranges, blood or pigmented oranges, navel oranges, and acidless oranges.[16][17][18] Other citrus species also known as oranges are: Bitter orange (Citrus aurantium), also known as Seville orange, sour orange (especially when used as rootstock for a sweet orange tree), bigarade orange and marmalade orange Bergamot orange (Citrus bergamia Risso), grown mainly in Italy for its peel, used to flavor Earl Grey tea Trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata), sometimes included in the genus (classified as Citrus trifoliata). It often serves as a rootstock for sweet orange trees, especially as a hybrid with other Citrus cultivars. The trifoliate orange is a thorny shrub or small tree grown mostly as an ornamental plant or to set up hedges. It bears a downy fruit similar to a small citrus, used to make marmalade. It is native to northern China and Korea, and is also known as "Chinese bitter orange" or "hardy orange" because it can withstand subfreezing temperatures[19] Satsumas Mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata) has an enormous number of cultivars, most notably the satsuma (Citrus unshiu), the tangerine (Citrus tangerina) and the clementine (Citrus clementina). In some cultivars, the mandarin is very similar to the sweet orange, making it difficult to distinguish between the two. The mandarin, however, is generally smaller and oblate, easier to peel, and less acidic[20] Orange trees generally are grafted. The bottom of the tree, including the roots and trunk, is called rootstock, while the fruit-bearing top has two different names: budwood (when referring to the process of grafting) and scion(when mentioning the variety of orange).[21] Etymology Main article: Orange (word) The word orange derives from the Sanskrit word for "orange tree" ( nāraṅga), which is probably of Dravidian origin.[22] The Sanskrit word reached European .(nāranj) جنران nārang) and its Arabicderivativeن ارن گ ) languages through Persian The word entered Late Middle English in the fourteenth century via Old French orenge (in the phrase pomme d'orenge).[23] The French word, in turn, comes from Old Provençal auranja, based on Arabic nāranj.[22] In several languages, the initial n present in earlier forms of the word dropped off because it may have been mistaken as part of an indefinite article ending in an n sound—in French, for example, une norenge may have been heard as une orenge. This linguistic change is called juncture loss. The color was named after the fruit,[24] and the first recorded use of orange as a color name in English was in 1512.[25][26] As Portuguese merchants were presumably the first to introduce the sweet orange in Europe, in several modern Indo-European languages the fruit has been named after them. Some examples are Albanian portokall, Bulgarian портокал (portokal), Greek πορτοκάλι(portokali), porteghal), and Romanian portocală.[27][28] Related names can be found in other) پ رت قال Persian bourtouqal), Georgian ფორთოხალი (p'ort'oxali), and) ال برت قال languages, such as Arabic Turkish portakal.[27] In Italy, words derived from Portugal (Portogallo) to refer to the sweet orange are in common use in most dialects throughout the country, in contrast to standard Italian arancia. In other Indo-European languages, the words for orange allude to the eastern origin of the fruit and can be translated literally as "apple from China". Some examples are Low German Apfelsine, Dutch appelsien and sinaasappel, Swedish apelsin, and Norwegianappelsin.[28] A similar case is Puerto Rican Spanish china.[29][30] Various Slavic languages use the variants pomaranč (Slovak), pomeranč (Czech), pomaranča (Slovene), and pomarańcza (Polish), all from Old French pomme d'orenge.[31][not in citation given] Varieties Common oranges Common oranges (also called "white", "round", or "blond" oranges) constitute about two-thirds of all the orange production. The majority of this crop is used mostly for juice extraction.[16][18] Valencia Main article: Valencia orange The Valencia orange is a late-season fruit, and therefore a popular variety when navel oranges are out of season. This is why an anthropomorphic orange was chosen as the mascot for the 1982 FIFA World Cup, held in Spain. The mascot was named Naranjito("little orange") and wore the colors of the Spanish national football team. Hart's Tardiff Valencia Thomas Rivers, an English nurseryman, imported this variety from the Azores Islands and catalogued it in 1865 under the name Excelsior. Around 1870, he provided trees to S. B. Parsons, a Long Island nurseryman, who in turn sold them to E. H. Hart of Federal Point, Florida.[32] Hamlin This cultivar was discovered by A. G. Hamlin near Glenwood, Florida, in 1879. The fruit is small, smooth, not highly colored, seedless, and juicy, with a pale yellow colored juice, especially in fruits that come from lemon rootstock. The tree is high-yielding and cold-tolerant and it produces good quality fruit, which is harvested from October to December. It thrives in humid subtropical climates. In cooler, more arid areas, the trees produce edible fruit, but too small for commercial use.[12] Trees from groves in hammocks or areas covered with pine forest are budded on sour orange trees, a method that gives a high solids content. On sand, they are grafted on rough lemon rootstock.[4] The Hamlin orange is one of the most popular juice oranges in Florida and replaces the Parson Brown variety as the principal early-season juice orange. This cultivar is now[needs update] the leading early orange in Florida and, possibly, in the rest of the world.[12] Other varieties of common oranges Indian hybrid Orange Belladonna: grown in Italy Berna: grown mainly in Spain Biondo Comune ("ordinary blond"): widely grown in the Mediterranean basin, especially in North Africa, Egypt, Greece (where it is called "koines"), Italy (where it is also known as "Liscio"), and Spain; it also is called "Beledi" and "Nostrale";[16] in Italy, this variety ripens in December, earlier than

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