Citrus Trees

The sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) is a 16-46 ft (5-14 m) tall tree with evergreen foliage, white flowers, and spherical fruits. This species is originally from southern China or perhaps Southeast Asia. However, the original range is somewhat uncertain, because wild plants in natural habitats are not known. The sweet orange has been cultivated in China and elsewhere in southern Asia for thousands of years, being mentioned in dated Chinese scripts from 2200 B.C. The sweet orange reached Europe as a cultivated species sometime before the fourteenth century. Sweet oranges are now grown around the world wherever the climate is suitably subtropical or tropical.

The sweet orange tends to flower and fruit during periods of relatively abundant rainfall, and becomes dormant if a pronounced drier period occurs during the summer. The sweet orange is commonly cultivated in plantations or groves. These are widely established in subtropical parts of the southern United States, particularly in southern Florida and California. Oranges are also widely grown in Mexico, Spain, the Middle East, North Africa, and many other countries, for both local use and export. The global production of sweet oranges is more than 38.5 million tons (35 million metric tonnes) per year.

Orange fruits are very tasty and nutritious, containing 5-10% sugar, 1-2% citric acid, along with vitamin C and beneficial fiber and pulp. Most sweet oranges have an orange-colored rind when they are ripe as well as an orange interior and juice. However, some cultivated varieties of sweet oranges have a yellow or green rind, while still others have a deep-red interior and juice. Some varieties have been bred to be seedless, including navel, Jaffa, and Malta oranges.

Oranges were a scarce and expensive fruit in past centuries, and many children were delighted to find a precious orange in their Christmas stocking. Today, however, oranges are grown in enormous quantities and are readily available as an inexpensive fruit at any time of the year.