How to Identify Orange Trees

Types of orange trees can be distinguished by a number of characteristics.

Sweet oranges--delicious, refreshing, and packed with vitamin C and antioxidants--are the most widely grown species of citrus in the world. According to the Texas A and M University website, oranges originated in India, made their way to Asia, Africa and Europe, and were introduced to the New World when Christopher Columbus reportedly established a planting in Hispaniola on his second voyage. Extensively grown in Texas, California, Arizona and Florida, orange trees come in many different varieties. The size of the mature tree, the harvest time and the characteristics of the fruit provide clues to identifying the different types of trees.

Instructions

1. Check the size of the tree to for a starting point in identification. Most orange trees reach a height of 20 to 30 feet at maturity, but some varieties are noticeably smaller. The Marrs orange tree, popular in Texas, is one of the smallest orange trees, producing a crop of large, yellowish smooth-peeled fruit at the height of 6 feet. It is also an early ripener, ready for harvest in September.

2. Examine the fruit of a small orange tree at both ends for the presence of a small opening--proof of a navel orange. These tasty oranges always feature a secondary fruit in the blossom end, which creates a small opening (the navel) and makes the orange easier to peel. Navel orange trees grow to about 7 or 8 feet tall.

3. Check the shape and color of the orange. The Valencia orange tree, 12 feet tall at maturity, features bright orange, slightly oblong fruit that ripens in Florida in February or March. Taste the orange--Valencia oranges have an excellent taste. The size of the tree, the shape and taste of the fruit, and the presence of seeds are all evidence of a Valencia orange tree.

4. Examine the shape of the tree. A round-topped orange tree may be a Moro blood orange tree. If the peel of an orange from the tree has a reddish tint, or red blotches or flecks, this makes it likely that it is a Moro blood orange, which owe its red coloration to the presence of anthocyanin pigments.

5. Taste the orange for further help in identification. Moro blood oranges have distinct overtones of strawberry, and feature ruby-red or crimson flesh.

6. Smell an orange from the tree for a clue as to identification. Valencia oranges have a very strong orange scent, while pineapple oranges--which are somewhat flat on the ends--have a pineapple fragrance. More evidence that it is a pineapple orange tree is provided if its oranges contain seeds and are ripe at the end of November.

7. Examine the oranges for size. The Hamlin orange tree features small, round oranges. If the small orange is seedless, you have another clue that the orange you are holding is a Hamlin orange. However, the Jaffa orange tree also has small seedless fruits.

8. Check the color of the orange to differentiate between the Hamlin orange and the Jaffa orange. While the Hamlin orange is a true orange when it is ripe, the Jaffa orange is not so much orange in color but yellow.

9. Squeeze the oranges into juice to further distinguish the Jaffa and Hamlin oranges. The juice of the Jaffa orange has a thick, nectar-like quality; the juice of the Hamlin is thinner.

References

• Texas A and M University Horticultural Department: Citrus
• Citrus Trees Online: Moro Blood Oranges
• Purdue University: Orange