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<td>[[Image:Ambersweet_orangesthumbnail.jpg|Ambersweet oranges thumbnail]]</td>
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<td align=center>'''Sweet oranges'''</td>
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<td>[[Image:Oranges and orange juice.jpg|Oranges and orange juice thumbnail]]</td>
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<td align=center>'''Oranges and orange juice'''</td>
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An '''orange''' is the [[fruit]] of an orange tree, one of the most common [[citrus]] fruits, widely grown in warmer climates, and distributed worldwide. Oranges are [[orange (colour)|orange]] in color &ndash; the color is named for the fruit, not the other way around.

The orange has a sweet-sour taste and is commonly peeled and eaten fresh, or squeezed for its juice. It has a thick bitter rind that is usually discarded, but can be used in cooking. The outer-most layer of the rind is called orange zest, and it has a similar flavor to the inner part of the orange. The white part of the rind is almost always discarded.

All citrus trees are of a single genus, ''Citrus'', and remain largely interbreedable &ndash; that is, there is only one "superspecies" which includes lemons and limes as well as oranges. Nevertheless names have been given to the various members of the citrus family, oranges often being referred to as ''Citrus sinensis'' and ''Citrus aurantium''.

==Origin==
The fruit originated in [[India]] (some say [[Vietnam]]) and was called ''na rangi'' in [[Sanskrit]].  The ''na rangi'' or ''naranja'' was translated as "norange", and in [[English language|English]] usage ''a norange'' was [[back formation|back-formed]] into the more acceptable ''an orange''.  The same thing happened in [[French language|French]] and [[Italian language|Italian]], but in [[Spanish language|Spanish]] it is still ''naranja''. The original fruit is rather bitter compared to modern varieties, as is referred to as the ''sour orange'' (or alternately, bitter, bigarade or Seville orange). The sour taste is in fact attributed to the slight acidity of the orange's juice. It is not entirely clear if the sour orange really is the original stock or not, and it may be the case that there is no original wild orange species.

==Varieties==
A number of varieties of orange are now cultivated widely. The '''sweet orange''' (Citrus aurantium) was first grown in [[Spain]], and has become the most popular variety. The sweet orange will grow to different sizes and colors due to local conditions, most commonly with ten ''carpels'' (slices) inside.

A single mutation in an orchard of sweet oranges planted at a monastery in 1820 in [[Brazil]] led to the '''navel orange''' (aka Washington, Riverside or Bahia navel). A single cutting of the original was then transplanted to Riverside, [[California]] in 1870, creating a new market worldwide. The mutation caused a [[diploid]] (twin) fruit, with a smaller orange embedded in the outer fruit near the stem. From the outside the smaller, undeveloped, twin leaves a human navel-like formation at the top of the fruit. Navel oranges are almost always seedless, and tend to be larger than the sweet orange. They are produced without pollination ([[parthenocarpic|parthenocarpy]]).

The [[Comunidad Valenciana|Valencia]] or [[Murcia]] orange is one of the sweet oranges used for juice extraction.  It is a late-season fruit. It is a popular variety of orange when the navel oranges are out of season.

The '''blood orange''' has streaks of red in the fruit, and when squeezed the juice is often reddish. The '''mandarin''' is similar, but smaller and sweeter, and the '''scarlet navel''' is a variety with the same diapaliod mutation as the normal naval orange.

'''Bitter oranges''' are used in [[marmalade]] and as an ingredient in of the [[liqueur]]s [[triple sec]] and [[curacao]].

==Orange cultivation==
Orange cultivation is a major business, and an important part of the economies of (among others) the US states of [[Florida]] and [[California]], many [[Mediterranean]] countries, [[Romania]], [[South Africa]], and the 'Riverina' district around the [[Murray River]] in [[Australia]].

==Products made from oranges==
Orange juice is one of the commodities traded on the New York commodities market.  [[Brazil]] is the largest producer of orange juice in the world, followed by [[Florida]].

Orange oil (produced by pressing the peel) is used in surface conditioning of wood furniture, and (along with other citrus oils) in grease removal and as a hand-cleansing agent. Orange spray (extracted from orange peels and sold commercially) is an extremely efficient cleaning agent which is environmentally friendly and non-toxic.

Orange [[blossom]] is traditionally associated with good fortune, and it was popular in [[bridal bouquet]]s and [[headwreath]]s for [[wedding]]s for some time ''(period of history? more details?)''. The [[petal]]s of orange blossom can also be made into a delicately citrus-scented version of [[rosewater]].

Orange blossom [[honey]] (really citrus honey) is produced by putting beehives in the citrus groves during bloom, which also [[pollination|pollinates]] seeded citrus varieties. Orange blossom honey is highly prized, and has a distinct ''orangy'' flavor.

See also: [[Tangerine]], [[Mandarin orange]], [[Kumquat]], [[Orangewater]]

==External link==
*From [http://www.css.cornell.edu/ecf3/Web/AF/Courses/SCAS314/Diversity_Domestication/tsld045.htm ''norange'' to ''orange'']

<hr align=center noshade size=2 width=50%>
<center>[[Food]] &nbsp;|&nbsp; [[List of fruits]] &nbsp;|&nbsp; [[List of vegetables]]</center>

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====References====
* Adapted from the [[Wikipedia]] article, "Orange_(fruit)" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_(fruit) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_(fruit)], used under the [[GNU Free Documentation License]]