| Citrus × sinensis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Rutaceae |
| Genus: | Citrus |
| Species: | C. × sinensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Citrus × sinensis (L.) Osbeck[1] | |
Citrus × sinensis (sometimes written Citrus sinensis), is a broadleaf evergreen[2] hybrid between pomelo (Citrus maxima) and mandarin (Citrus reticulata). Hybrid sweet oranges are commonly cultivated fruits that include Valencia oranges, blood oranges and navel oranges.[1]
Uses
The orange fruit is an important agricultural product, used for both the juicy fruit pulp and the aromatic peel (rind). Orange blossoms (the flowers) are used in several different ways, as are the leaves and wood of the tree.
Flowers
- The orange blossom, which is the state flower of Florida,[3] is highly fragrant and traditionally associated with good fortune. It has long been popular in bridal bouquets and head wreaths.
- Orange blossom essence is an important component in the making of perfume.
- Orange blossom petals can also be made into a delicately citrus-scented counterpart to rosewater, known as "orange blossom water" or "orange flower water". It is a common ingredient in French and Middle Eastern cuisines, especially in desserts and baked goods. In some Middle Eastern countries, drops of orange flower water are added to disguise the unpleasant taste of hard water drawn from wells or stored in qullahs (traditional Egyptian water pitchers made of porous clay). In the United States, orange flower water is used to make orange blossom scones and marshmallows.
- In Spain, fallen blossoms are dried and used to make orange tea.
- Orange blossom honey (or citrus honey) is obtained by putting beehives in the citrus groves while trees bloom. By this method, bees also pollinate seeded citrus varieties. This type of honey has an orangey taste and is highly prized.
Leaves
- Orange leaves can be boiled to make orange tea.
Wood
- Orangewood sticks are used as cuticle pushers in manicures and pedicures, as spudgers for manipulating slender electronic wires and as peg wood in watchmaking.
- Orangewood is used in the same way as mesquite, oak, and hickory for smoking grilled meat.
Threats
Giant swallowtail larva
Giant swallowtail caterpillars (Papilio cresphontes) cause serious damage to this crop, especially to young trees.[4]
See also
- The orange blossom gives its touristic nickname to the Costa del Azahar ("Orange blossom coast"), the Castellón seaboard.
- Citrus greening disease - bacterial disease killing orange trees and other citrus fruits grown
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:Citrus sinensis (category) Wikispecies has information related to Citrus sinensis.
https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:772052-1
- "Citrus sinensis". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
- "Citrus sinensis". The University of Arizona.
- "Florida State Symbols". Florida Department of State. Division of Historical Resources. Archived from the original on 2014-04-27.
- "Giant Swallowtail, Orangedog, Papilio cresphontes Cramer (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)1 (PDF Download Available)". ResearchGate.
External links
- Porcher Michel H.; et al. (1995–2002), Sorting Citrus Names. Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (M.M.P.N.D) - A Work in Progress, The University of Melbourne, Australia
- Xu, Q.; Chen, L.-L.; Ruan, X.; Chen, D.; Zhu, A.; Chen, C.; Bertrand, D.; Jiao, W.-B.; Hao, B.-H.; Lyon, M.P.; Chen, J.; Gao, S.; Xing, F.; Lan, H.; Chang, J.-W.; Ge, X.; Lei, Y.; Hu, Q.; Miao, Y.; Wang, L.; Xiao, S.; Biswas, M.K.; Zeng, W.; Guo, F.; Cao, H.; Yang, X.; Xu, X.-W.; Cheng, Y.-J.; Xu, J.; Liu, J.-H.; Luo, O.J.; Tang, Z.; Guo, W.-W.; Kuang, H.; Zhang, H.-Y.; Roose, M.L.; Nagarajan, N.; Deng, X.-X.; Ruan, Y. (2013), "The draft genome of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis)", Nature Genetics, 45 (1): 59–66, doi:10.1038/ng.2472, PMID 23179022
- Bausher, Michael G; Singh, Nameirakpam D; Lee, Seung-Bum; Jansen, Robert K; Daniell, Henry (2006). "The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck var 'Ridge Pineapple': Organization and phylogenetic relationships to other angiosperms". BMC Plant Biology. 6: 21. doi:10.1186/1471-2229-6-21. PMC 1599732. PMID 17010212.