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Orange (fruit)

language culture Maturity 9-11 Next article →

The sweet orange is a bright and juicy fruit that many people love.

Oranges - whole-halved-segment
Oranges - whole-halved-segment

It belongs to a group of plants called citrus. You can eat the fruit fresh or squeeze it into juice. People also use the fragrant peel for its scent.

orange production, World, 2023 (cropped)
orange production, World, 2023 (cropped)

In 2022, farmers grew 76 million tonnes of oranges around the world. Brazil grows the most, making up 22% of the total. India and China also grow very large amounts. These fruits are important because they are a great source of vitamin C.

An orange tree is an evergreen tree that stays green all year.

Hybrid origins of orange
Hybrid origins of orange

The fruit itself is a special kind of berry called a hesperidium. It has a thick, grainy rind on the outside. Inside, there is a white, bitter tissue called the albedo. You will find about ten segments inside the fruit. Each segment is filled with tiny, juice-filled sacs and sometimes a few pips, which are seeds. The fruit can be round or long in shape. When the fruit is not ripe, it is actually green.

The sweet orange is not a wild fruit from nature. Instead, it is a hybrid that was created by humans long ago.

Hybrid origins of orange
Hybrid origins of orange

It grew from a mix of a mandarin orange and a pomelo. Scientists found it is about 58% mandarin and 42% pomelo. This history began in a region with Southern China, Northeast India, and Myanmar. The earliest written mention of the orange was in Chinese books in 314 BC. Over time, these oranges helped create other fruits like grapefruits and clementines.

Oranges have traveled all over the world throughout history.

Bayad-wa-riyadبياض-و-رياض-
Bayad-wa-riyadبياض-و-رياض-

Long ago, the Moors brought citrus to the Iberian Peninsula. Later, Spanish travelers brought sweet oranges to the Americas. They may have planted them in Hispaniola in 1493. In California, the gold rush made people want oranges for vitamin C. This helped miners avoid a sickness called scurvy. By 1901, California had grown from 90,000 trees to 4.5 million trees.

Artists have used the orange as a beautiful subject for centuries.

Oranges - whole-halved-segment
Oranges - whole-halved-segment

You can find oranges in many famous paintings. The artist Zhao Lingrang painted them in China during the Song dynasty. In Europe, the artist Jan van Eyck included them in his art. Some kings even built grand buildings called orangeries to grow them. King Louis XIV of France had a huge orangerie at Versailles. Famous painters like Vincent van Gogh and Henri Matisse also loved painting them.

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🖼️ Images & Media (8)
File:Oranges - whole-halved-segment.jpg
Oranges - whole-halved-segment.jpg
File:Hybrid origins of orange.svg
Hybrid origins of orange.svg
File:Bayad-wa-riyadبياض-و-رياض-.jpg
Bayad-wa-riyadبياض-و-رياض-.jpg
File:Orange etymology.svg
Orange etymology.svg
File:Octyl acetate.svg
Octyl acetate.svg
File:Icerya purchasi 1435060.jpg
Icerya purchasi 1435060.jpg
File:Asian Citrus Psyllid adult.jpg
Asian Citrus Psyllid adult.jpg
File:orange production, World, 2023 (cropped).svg
orange production, World, 2023 (cropped).svg
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