Orange | OtterKnow Kids Encyclopedia

What Is an Orange?

An orange is a round citrus fruit with a bright, cheerful color and a sweet-tart flavor that has made it one of the world’s most beloved fruits. Its scientific name is Citrus sinensis, and it is actually a hybrid that formed naturally long ago from a cross between a pomelo and a mandarin. Oranges are divided into segments inside, usually about ten, each wrapped in a thin membrane and filled with juice. The white, spongy layer between the peel and the flesh is called the pith, and it contains a compound called hesperidin that scientists are studying for its health benefits.

Where Oranges Come From

Oranges originated in Southeast Asia, likely in the region where northeastern India meets southern China, and were first cultivated thousands of years ago. Arab traders carried oranges westward to the Middle East and North Africa, and from there the fruit reached Europe around the 10th century. Spanish explorers brought orange seeds to Florida in the 1500s, where the warm, humid climate turned out to be perfect for growing them. Today, Brazil is the world’s largest orange producer, growing about one-third of the entire global supply, followed by China and India.

How Oranges Grow

Orange trees are evergreen plants that can grow 30 feet tall and live for more than 50 years when well cared for. Here is a surprising fact: in tropical countries where temperatures stay warm year-round, oranges often remain green even when ripe because the chlorophyll in the peel never breaks down. The familiar orange color only develops when nights get cool enough to trigger the breakdown of green pigments, revealing the orange ones underneath. That is why some perfectly ripe tropical oranges are dyed or treated with ethylene gas before they reach store shelves.

Orange Varieties

The two most popular types of oranges are Valencia and navel oranges, and each has its own special qualities. Valencia oranges are the juicing champions, producing abundant sweet juice with few seeds, and they are named after the city of Valencia, Spain. Navel oranges are the ones most people eat as snacks because they are seedless and easy to peel, with a distinctive belly-button-like mark on the bottom. Blood oranges have a striking deep-red flesh colored by anthocyanin pigments, giving them a flavor that hints of raspberry.

Oranges in Our Lives

Florida’s state flower is the orange blossom, and the citrus industry has been a major part of the state’s economy for over a hundred years. Orange juice is the most popular fruit juice in the United States, and most of it comes from processed concentrate made in Florida and Brazil. Oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C, with a single medium orange providing more than your full daily requirement. Beyond eating and drinking, orange oil from the peel is used in perfumes, cleaning products, and even as a natural insect repellent.