citrus sinensis
Habitats: Mediterranean, south asia, tropical and subtropical climate
Main bloom time: spring
Bloom color: withe
Harvest time: october to june
Growth: up to 9 meters
Edible parts: Fruit fresh or its juice, rind, peel, flowers
Plants present at Son Selva: 1
The orange is a hybrid between pomelo (Citrus maxima) and mandarin (Citrus reticulata).
It originated in a region encompassing Southern China, Northeast India, and Myanmar, the earliest mention of the sweet orange was in Chinese literature in 314 BC.
As of 1987, orange trees were found to be the most cultivated fruit tree in the world.
In Europe, the Moors introduced the orange to the Iberian Peninsula, which was known as Al-Andalus, with large-scale cultivation starting in the 10th century, as evidenced by complex irrigation techniques specifically adapted to support orange orchards.
Culinary uses:
Sweet and delicious. The juice is often extracted from the fruit and sold as a refreshing and healthy drink or used in jellies, ice cream etc. The rind of the fruit is often used as a flavouring in cakes etc or made into marmalade. Flowers - cooked as a vegetable or made into a tea.
Medicinal uses:
Orange fruits are a rich source of vitamin C, providing 64% of the daily value.
Citrus species contain a wide range of active ingredients and research is still underway in finding uses for them. They are rich in vitamin C, flavonoids, acids and volatile oils. They also contain coumarins such as bergapten which sensitizes the skin to sunlight. Some of the plants more recent applications are as sources of anti-oxidants and chemical exfoliants in specialized cosmetics.