Tangerine
| Tangerine | ||||||||||||||
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
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| Citrus reticulata Blanco |
- For other uses, see Tangerine (disambiguation).
The tangerine (Citrus reticulata) is an orange or red colored citrus fruit.
Mandarins are often referred to a tangerines, which Katz and Weaver (2003) consider to be an incorrect use, since tangerine was used in the 19th century to designate only one type of mandarin, a Mediterranean type, with the word based on the city of Tangier.
They are smaller than most oranges, and the skin of some varieties peels off more easily. The taste is often more sour, or tart, than that of an orange.
Mandarin orange or mandarin (瓯柑) is a small citrus tree (Citrus reticulata) with fruit resembling the orange. The fruit is oblate, rather than spherical, and roughly resembles a pumpkin in shape. Mandarin oranges are usually eaten plain, or in fruit salads. Specifically reddish orange mandarin cultivars can be marketed as tangerines, but this is not a botanical classification.
The tree is more tolerant to drought than the fruit. The mandarin is tender, and is damaged easily by cold. It can be grown in tropical and subtropical areas.
Citrus fruit varieties are usually self-fertile (needing a bee only to move pollen within the same flower) or parthenocarpic (not needing pollination and therefore seedless) (such as satsumas).
Blossoms from the Dancy cultivar, for example, are an exception. They are self sterile, therefore must have a pollenizer variety to supply pollen, and a high bee population to make a good crop.
Furthermore, some varieties, notably clementines, are usually seed free, but will develop seeds if cross-pollinated with a seeded citrus. Thus, great efforts are taken to isolate clementine orchards from any seeded citrus varieties.
Description
Citrus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rutaceae (orange family) and a common name for edible fruits of this genus (and sometimes related genera). Originating in tropical and subtropical southeast Asia, these plants are among the oldest fruit crops to be domesticated (Katz and Weaver 2003). Citrus fruits are a distinctive berry with the internal parts divided into segments and include oranges, lemons, limes, citrons, grapefruit, pomelos (pummelo, pommelo), and mandarins (tangerines). Citrus is likely the most widely planted fruit for direct human consumption in the world (Katz and Weaver 2003).
The citrus plants are small trees or large shrubs, reaching 5 to 15 meters tall, with spiny shoots and alternately arranged evergreen leaves with an entire margin. The flowers are solitary or in small corymbs (a branched cluster of flowers with lower flowers having longer stems). Each flower is 2 to 4 centimeters in diameter, with five (rarely four) white petals and numerous stamens; they are often very strongly scented.
The distinctive fruit is a hesperidium, a specialized berry with the internal fleshy parts divided into segments (typically 10 to 16) and surrounded by a separable rind (Katz and Weaver 2003). The herperidium is globose to elongated, 4 to 30 centimeters long, and 4 to 20 centimeters in diameter. The rind is leathery and the segments, or "liths," are filled with pulp vesicles
Cultivated Citrus may be derived from as few as three or four ancestral species. Katz and Weaver (2003) claim that the generally accepted view is that there were three primordial Citrus species—Citrus medica (citrons), Citrus maxima (pumelos), and Citrus reticulata (mandarins)—and that all other types of citrus rose from single or sequential hybridization events between these species or their offspring. The hybridized types of citrus may or may not be recognized as species according to different taxonomies. Thus, anywhere from 3 to 170 species are recognized, with the commonly used system of Swingle recognizing 16 species (Katz and Weaver 2003).
Good quality tangerines will be firm to slightly hard, heavy for their size, and pebbly-skinned with no deep grooves, as well as orange in color. Peak tangerine season is short, lasting from November to January in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Honey tangerine, originally called a murcott, is very sweet, as its name suggests. Other popular kinds include the Sunburst and Fairchild tangerines.
One of the oldest and most popular varieties is the Dancy tangerine, but it is no longer widely grown [1]. The Dancy was known as the zipper-skin tangerine, and also as the kid-glove orange, for its loose, pliable peel. Its peak season is December, so children would often receive one in their Christmas stockings.
Tangerine flavor is used in bottled juice or gatorade soft drinks, and the fresh fruit can be used in salads, desserts and main dishes. It is, however, most commonly eaten out of hand. Tangerines are a good source of vitamin C, folate and beta-carotene. They also contain some potassium, magnesium and vitamins B1, B2 & B3.
The number of seeds in each segment (carpel) varies greatly (up to 59).
Historically, the name tangerine comes from Tangier, Morocco, the port from which the first tangerines were shipped to Europe. The adjective tangerine, from Tangier or Tanger, was first recorded as an English word in 1710.
A popular alternative to tangerines are clementines, which are also a variant of the mandarin orange.
- Janick, J. 2005 Lecture 32: Citrus. Purdue University. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
- Tangerines Citrus reticulata
Highly prized for easy peeling (zipper skin). Some consider four horticultural groups.
- Satsuma - Common in Japan, are seedless and sections are exported.
These are often called mandarins.
- Hybrids such as 'King' and 'Temple' orange Large and good quality that are easy peel.
Many believe that these type of fruit are the future of the fresh fruit citrus industry.
- Mediterranean.
- Common mandarins (called tangerines).
Tangerines are small erect trees that fruit at the end of branches. The branches tend to be erect. The skin is loose and is hard to pick without damage but is the highest priced fruit. In Florida 10% of tangerines can be legally added to frozen orange concentrated for color. None are cold hardy.
Production
| Top Ten Tangerines, Mandarin orange, clementines Producers — 2005 (1000 tonnes) | |
|---|---|
 People's Republic of China |
11,395 |
 Spain |
2,125 |
 Brazil |
1,270 |
 Japan |
1,132 |
 Iran |
720 |
 Thailand |
670 |
 Egypt |
665 |
 Pakistan |
587 |
 Italy |
585.84 |
 Turkey |
585 |
| World Total | 19,734.84 |
| Source: UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO)[2] | |
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Katz, S. H., and W. W. Weaver. 2003. Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. New York: Schribner. ISBN 0684805685.
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