The Plant:- The orange tree is a shrub which reaches 10 metres high. It bears dark green shiny leaves and small white sweet flowers. Orange trees are grown from its seeds and stem cuttings. Oranges are grown in warmer climates with temperature between 15.5°C - 29°C. Oranges are sensitive to frost. Orange trees require a huge amount of water.

The Fruit:- The orange has a tough shiny orange skin or peel. The fruit is divided into segments having thin skins that hold together many little sections with juice inside. Usually an orange contains ten segments, but sometimes there are more. Each segment of most types of orange contains seeds called pips. The segments and the skin are separated by white stringy stuff called pith. In most varieties of oranges, the skin is peeled off and the segments are pulled apart with the fingers to be eaten. In some oranges it is hard to take the skin off.

History:- Oranges originated in Southeast Asia.  India is the home of sweet oranges. Only sour oranges were grown in Italy. The word orange is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word ‘na rangi.  From India sweet orange trees were brought to European countries like Italy, Spain and Portugal in the 15th century. Portu- guese, Spanish, Arab, and Dutch sailors planted orange trees along trade routes to prevent scurvy. From Europe, the sweet orange trees were taken to the United States, South America, Africa and Australia.  On his second voyage in 1493, Christopher Columbus brought the seeds of oranges, lemons and citrons to Haiti and the Caribbean.   Hence, the word orange first appeared and got its name from its colour in English in the 15th century.  

Varieties:-  Oranges are mostly of the following varieties.

Blood orange:- Blood orange, is a natural variety of orange with  streaking red colour pulp. Original blood oranges were first discovered and cultivated in the 15th century in Sicily, Europe.

Navel orange:- The Navel orange  grown in Brazil, is seedless.

Persian orange:- The Persian orange is grown widely in southern Europe.

Valencia orange:- The Valencia orange is one of the sweet oranges used for juice extraction. It is a late-season fruit.

Production:- The top orange producing nations according to the UN Food & Agriculture Organization are-  Brazil, United States, Mexico, India, China, Spain, Italy, Iran, Egypt and Pakistan.  

Nutritional Value:- Nutritional value per 100g

Energy———————192 kJ (46 kcal)

Carbohydrates———----———11.54 g

Sugars——————-—————9.14 g

Dietary fiber-----————————2.4 g

Fat—————————————0.21 g

Protein———————————0.70 g

Thiamine (Vit. B1)———0.100 mg (8%)

Riboflavin (Vit. B2)——-0.040 mg (3%)

Niacin (Vit. B3)————0.400 mg (3%)

Pantothenic acid (B5)——0.250 mg (5%)

Vitamin B6——————0.051 mg (4%)

Folate(Vit. B9)—————----17 ìg (4%)

Vitamin C———————45 mg (75%)

Calcium———————-—43 mg (4%)

Iron————————-—0.09 mg (1%)

Magnesium———————10 mg (3%)

Phosphorus———————12 mg (2%)

Potassium——————---169 mg (4%)

Zinc—————————0.08 mg (1%)

Food & Medicinal value:- Orange is commonly peeled and eaten fresh, or squeezed for its juice. It is used as a flavouring of food and drink.  It is one of the most recommended fruits prescribed to supplement one’s diet in the event of a number of diseases.  Eating or drinking orange juice is more effective in protecting the immune system.  A compound found in the orange peel called poly- methoxylated flavones has been linked with lowering cholesterol.  In Chinese medicine, the dried orange peel is used to treat coughs and colds, and the dried bitter orange is used to treat diarrhea and prolapse of the uterus. The oil of orange trees is used in the treatment of skin care, water retention, bronchitis, constipation, colds, flu and nervous conditions. Healing properties of orange are anti-inflammatory, anti-septic, anti-depressant, sedative and a tonic.

Sweet orange oil consists of about 90% d-Limonene, a solvent used in various household chemicals. It is also used as fragrance in perfume. Like all citrus fruits, the orange is acidic.