Mandarin orange in the context of "Orange (fruit)"

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⭐ Core Definition: Mandarin orange

A mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata), often simply called mandarin, is a small, rounded citrus tree fruit. Treated as a distinct species of orange, it is usually eaten plain or in fruit salads. The mandarin is small and oblate, unlike the roughly spherical sweet orange (which is a mandarin-pomelo hybrid). The taste is sweeter and stronger than the common orange. A ripe mandarin orange is firm to slightly soft, heavy for its size, and pebbly-skinned. The peel is thin and loose, with little white mesocarp, so they are usually easier to peel and to split into segments. Hybrids have these traits to lesser degrees. The mandarin orange is tender and is damaged easily by cold. It can be grown in tropical and subtropical areas.

According to genetic studies, the wild mandarin was one of the original citrus species; through breeding or natural hybridization, it is the ancestor of many hybrid citrus cultivars. With the citron and pomelo, it is the ancestor of the most commercially important hybrids (such as sweet and sour oranges, grapefruit, and many lemons and limes). Though the ancestral mandarin orange was bitter, most commercial mandarin strains derive from hybridization with the pomelo, which gives them sweet fruit.

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👉 Mandarin orange in the context of Orange (fruit)

The orange, also called sweet orange to distinguish it from the bitter orange (Citrus × aurantium), is the fruit of a tree in the family Rutaceae. Botanically, this is the hybrid Citrus × sinensis, between the pomelo (Citrus maxima) and the mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata). The chloroplast genome, and therefore the maternal line, is that of pomelo. Hybrids of the sweet orange form later types of mandarin and the grapefruit. The sweet orange has had its full genome sequenced.

The orange originated in a region encompassing Southern China, Northeast India, and Myanmar; the earliest mention of the sweet orange was in Chinese literature in 314 BC. Orange trees are widely grown in tropical and subtropical areas for their sweet fruit. The fruit of the orange tree can be eaten fresh or processed for its juice or fragrant peel. In 2022, 76 million tonnes of oranges were grown worldwide, with Brazil producing 22% of the total, followed by India and China.

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Mandarin orange in the context of Xinhui

Xinhui, alternately romanized as Sunwui and also known as Kuixiang, is an urban district of Jiangmen in Guangdong, China. It grew from a separate city founded at the confluence of the Tan and West Rivers. It has a population of about 735,500, 98% of whom are Han Chinese and many of them speak a dialect of Cantonese as their first language. Xinhui is best known in China for its chenpi, a kind of dried Mandarin orange peel.

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Mandarin orange in the context of Citrus

Citrus is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, such as citrons, mandarins, and pomelos. Many important citrus crops have been developed through extensive hybridization, including oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and limes, all of which have many cultivars.

Citrus is native to South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Melanesia, and Australia. Indigenous people in these areas have used and domesticated various species since ancient times. Its cultivation first spread into Micronesia and Polynesia through the Austronesian expansion (c. 3000–1500 BCE). Later, it was spread to the Middle East and the Mediterranean (c. 1200 BCE) via the incense trade route, and then from Europe to the Americas.

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Mandarin orange in the context of Juice vesicles

The juice vesicles, also known as citrus kernels (in aggregate, citrus pulp), of a citrus fruit are the membranous content of the fruit's endocarp. The vesicles contain the juice of the fruit and appear shiny and saclike. Vesicles come in two shapes: the superior and inferior, and these are distinct. Citrus fruits with more vesicles generally weigh more than those with fewer vesicles. Fruits with many segments, such as the grapefruit or pomelo, have more vesicles per segment than fruits with fewer segments, such as the kumquat and mandarin. Each vesicle in a segment in citrus fruits has approximately the same shape, size, and weight. About 5% of the weight of an average orange is made up of the membranes of the juice vesicles.

Juice vesicles of the endocarp contain the components that provide the aroma typically associated with citrus fruit. These components are also found in the flavedo oil sacs. The vesicles and their inner juices contain many vitamins and minerals as well as the taste and sweet acid fragrance.

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Mandarin orange in the context of Clementine

A clementine (Citrus × clementina) is a tangor, a citrus fruit hybrid between a willowleaf mandarin orange (C. × deliciosa) and a sweet orange (C. × sinensis), named in honor of Clément Rodier, a French missionary who first discovered and propagated the cultivar in Algeria. The exterior is a deep orange colour with a smooth, glossy appearance. Clementines can be separated into 7 to 14 segments. Similar to tangerines, they tend to be easy to peel. They are typically juicy and sweet, with less acid than oranges. Their oils, like other citrus fruits, contain mostly limonene as well as myrcene, linalool, α-pinene and many complex aromatics.

They are sometimes sold under the name Easy-peelers.

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Mandarin orange in the context of Tangerine

The tangerine is a type of citrus fruit that is orange in colour, that is considered either a variety of the mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata), or a closely related species, under the name Citrus tangerina, or yet as a hybrid (Citrus × tangerina) of mandarin orange varieties, with some pomelo contribution.

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Mandarin orange in the context of Chenpi

Chenpi, chen pi, or chimpi is sun-dried mandarin orange peel used as a traditional seasoning in Chinese cooking and traditional medicine. It is aged by storing the peels dry. The taste is first slightly sweet, but the aftertaste is pungent and bitter. According to Chinese herbology, its attribute is warm. Chenpi has a common name, 'ju pi' or mandarin orange peel.

Chenpi contains volatile oils which include the chemical compounds nobiletin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, tangeretin, citromitin, synephrine, carotene, cryptoxanthin, inositol, vitamin B1, and vitamin C. Traditional Chinese herbal medicine uses the alcohol extracts of several citrus peels, including those extracted from mandarin orange and bitter orange.

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