Citrus × sinensis , the orange tree or sweet orange tree, is a fruit tree of the genus Citrus, which is part of the rutáceas family. It is a medium-sized tree -although in optimal cultivation conditions it reaches up to 13 m in height-, perennial, with a large, round or pyramidal crown, with oval leaves of between 7 to 10 cm of entire margin and frequently stipulated and branches sometimes with large spines (more than 10 cm). Its white flowers, called orange blossoms, are born isolated or in clusters and are highly fragrant. Its fruit is sweet orange.
The orange tree is a medium-sized tree, three to five meters high, with a rounded crown and regular branches. A single trunk, straight and cylindrical, greenish first and gray later. The branches appear a meter or so from the ground. The leaves are perennial, medium and elongated, with a rounded base and pointed ends. The flowers appear in the axils of the leaves, solitary or in clusters.
The orange tree can reproduce by germination of a seed, by transplanting a stake or by layering, that is, starting from a root. In any case, a certain time must pass in the nursery or campus before going to the orchard or orange grove.
This, if we want it to bear abundant fruit, must meet a series of conditions. The first of these is the climate, since frost can end not only with the fruit, but with the tree itself and that is why the terrain that is above 250 meters above sea level in the interior is not usually good or of the 400 meters near it. The quality of the land is also important; the best is that of siliceous sand with some clay and lime. The orientation also influences a lot, which if possible will be looking towards the equator, that is, turning its back on the closest pole, to be protected from the cold winds of that sector, as well as receiving more hours of sun. It is also preferable that the ground is sloped so that the instability of the air prevents frost and frost, since the air layers on cooling always tend to move downwards, and these changes prevent the fruits from freezing, as would happen if the low temperatures were stable. Something decisive is that the land can be abundantly watered, although without forming puddles.
Summary
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- 1 Systematic
- 1 Etymology and origin
- 2 cultivation
- 1 Production
- 3 Sources
Systematic
The name orange tree was traditionally assigned to the species Citrus × sinensis, of the genus Citrus.
Lemon, lime and bitter orange (Citrus × aurantium) belong to this same genus. Recent genetic research has shown that most of these fruit trees are actually natural interspecific hybrids produced from grapefruit (Citrus maxima), mandarin (Citrus reticulata) and citron (Citrus medica), and their correct scientific nomenclature is Citrus × sinensis. . The old name, with no indication of hybrid, continues to be used extensively. The orange tree, like the other citrus fruits – the lemon, the lime, the citron, the grapefruit, the mandarin, etc. – belongs to the family of the rutáceas, according to the botanical classification, a truly numerous family, since it includes some 1,600 species, They are grouped into subfamilies, tribes, subtribes, genera, subgenres, species, groups, and varieties.
This article only talks about “Citrus sinensis Osbeck”, which is the technical name for the sweet orange, and Citrus aurantium, which is the bitter orange.
Oranges and orange blossom
Etymology and origin
Orange trees originate from India, Pakistan, Vietnam, and southeastern China and were brought to the west by the Arabs. In Sanskrit it was called nâranga (probably of Dravidian origin, not Aryan; in Tamil naru it means ‘fragrant’). From India it went to Arabia, where it was called naranj and then to the south of France, where in ancient Provencal it was called naurange (pronounced noránsh).
Then in English and French norange became orange. Because the English article a (or an in front of a vowel) and the French article that appear in “a norange” and “une norange” erroneously changed to “an orange” and “une orange” respectively.
This effect also occurred in other words beginning with “n”. However, in Spanish the orange form has been preserved.
Not all languages use this word to designate fruit: for example, Dutch calls the fruit sinaasappel (“Chinese apple”) and the color orange.
Oranges
Culture
It occurs in regions with a temperate and humid climate. The cultivation of this species forms an important part of the economy of many countries, such as the United States (Florida and California), most of the Mediterranean countries, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador , Peru, Belize, Cuba, Pakistan, China, India, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Uruguay and South Africa. In Spain it is grown mainly in the south of Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Andalusia and in the Region of Murcia where they are usually grown under irrigation.
Production
According to FAOSTAT, the main orange producers (tons) in 2005 were: 1. Brazil 17,804,600 2. United States 8,266,270 3. Mexico 3,969,810 4. India 3,100,000 5. Italy 2,533,535 6. China 2,412 .000 7. Spain 2,149,900 8. Iran 1,900,000 9. Egypt 1,789,000 10. Indonesia 1,311,703 11. Argentina 1,300,000
