Varietal characteristics
The orange tree is the most common citrus fruit in the world, and hundreds of varieties are grown.
The orange tree is a tree that can grow up to 12 meters, with elongated, fleshy leaves and snow-white flowers.
The fruits are round, and both the skin and flesh are the typical orange color.
The skin is characterized by a slight roughness.
The orange tree’s resting period is only three months, so it happens that the tree flowers and fruits at the same time.
The first fruits are harvested from November until May-June depending on the variety.
An adult tree produces about 500 fruits per year.
Oranges were introduced more than three centuries ago by Saracens and Slavonians who helped spread the plant to the Gargano and the coast near Genoa.
By the mid-nineteenth century, citrus fruits from Calabria and Sicily were famous throughout Europe and were marketed mainly in London and New York until they were later replaced in this market by citrus fruits from California.
