Peppers & Citrus Fruits Codexery

Bitter orange

Hybrid citrus tree prized for marmalade and essential oil.

Last updated

Bitter orange

Zeynel Cebeci · CC BY-SA 4.0

The bitter orange is a hybrid citrus species, a cross between the wild mandarin and pomelo.[1] Its fruit has a distinctly bitter or sour taste.[2] The tree is native to Southeast Asia.[3]

Scientific classification

  1. CladeTracheophytes
  2. CladeAngiosperms
  3. CladeEudicots
  4. CladeRosids
  5. OrderSapindales
  6. FamilyRutaceae
  7. GenusCitrus
  8. SpeciesCitrus × aurantium

Named by L., 1753

Close relatives

Other species of Citrus with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Bitter orange (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Where the bitter orange has been recorded

Where the bitter orange has been recordedPlaces named in the text; marked places: SevilleSeville

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Quick Facts

Genus
Citrus
Species
× aurantium

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

By around 700 AD, during the Arab Agricultural Revolution, the bitter orange had moved from its original areas in South China and Southeast Asia into the Islamic world.[4] The tree's leaves are alternate, simple, and grow on long petioles, while the petioles themselves bear long thorns.[2] Although it prefers subtropical climates, the tree can survive a short period of frost.[2] These trees need minimal maintenance and can reach an age of up to 600 years.[2]

British orange marmalade makers favor the Seville orange because its pectin content is higher than that of the sweet orange, resulting in a better set and yield.[5] Each year, Seville oranges are harvested from local trees and exported to Britain for marmalade production.[5] Eliza Cholmondeley's 1677 recipe book contains one of the earliest known references to a 'marmelet of oranges'.[5][6]

What the cited sources add

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health states that bitter orange is promoted as a dietary supplement for weight loss and sports performance.[3] The same source notes that bitter orange products became more popular after ephedra was taken off the market.[3] The National Collegiate Athletic Association has placed synephrine (bitter orange) on its list of banned drugs as a stimulant.[3] The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found that bitter orange has not been clearly shown to be helpful for any health-related purpose.[3]

It also reports that cases of serious medical events, including abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, and strokes, have been reported in people who had taken bitter orange products.[3] The Country Life article notes that the mythical 'golden apples' of the Hesperides could actually have been Seville oranges.[6]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Bitter orange" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Klein, "Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the Middle-East", 2014, p. 199–214; Wu, "Genomics of the origin and evolution of Citrus", Nature, 2018, p. 311–316 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Bitter orange" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sour Orange: Citrus aurantium", Purdue University (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. "Bitter Orange", National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, April 2008. facts only, no text reused. nccih.nih.gov
  4. Wikipedia, "Bitter orange" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Citrus Fruit Encyclopedia.com", www.encyclopedia.com; Watson, "Agricultural innovation in the early Islamic world: the diffusion of crops and farming techniques 700-1100", Cambridge University Press, 2008, p. 81; Trillo San Jose, "Agua y Paisaje en Granada: Una Herencia de Al-Andalus", DIP. PROV. de Granada, 2004; "Sour Orange: Citrus aurantium", Purdue University (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Bitter orange" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ortega, "Apenas se aprovechará la naranja que se recoja en la capital este año", 20minutos Sevilla, 22 January 2007; "20 fascinating facts about marmalade", Country Life, 27 February 2015; Ude, "The French Cook", John Ebers, 1819, p. 212; MCA, "Orange Marmalade", MCA Malta, 2021-04-19; "Ċitru f'Malta", Dilettanti tal-Agrikoltura Siġar u Pjanti, 2021-05-03 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. "20 fascinating facts about marmalade", Country Life, 27 February 2015. facts only, no text reused. countrylife.co.uk

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Bitter orange (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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