Herb. No. 215 · Rutaceae
Chinese hybrid; Spanish and Portuguese trade named Brazil’s naranja and Florida’s grove.
Native · East Asia · South Asia
Native Also grown
LegalGentleplant
Orange
Citrus × sinensis
The sweet citrus of breakfast — a Chinese hybrid the world named after a color, or the color after the fruit.
Sweet orange is a Chinese hybrid (likely pomelo × mandarin). Traditional use is as ripe fruit and juice. Culinary amounts are the path. Bitter orange and grapefruit juice have the famous drug interactions; sweet orange is kinder, but a gallon of juice is still sugar. Navel oranges are seedless table fruit; Valencias juice.
Flavor
Sweet, floral, a little pith bitterness if you go too deep. Blood oranges add raspberry.
Parts used
Ripe fruit · Juice · Zest
Helpful
- A winter fruit in the bowl
- Zest is a second crop
Cautions
- Juice as a gallon is sugar
- Frost
- Confusion with grapefruit on a drug list