Orange Blossom
(Citrus sinensis)
Adopted on November 15, 1909.
The orange blossom, Citrus
sinensis, was designated State
Flower by Concurrent Resolution November
15, 1909 Legislature. It is one of the
most fragant flowers in Florida.
Millions of these white flowers perfume
the atmosphere throughout central and
south Florida during orange blossom time.
The sweet orange, like most citrus, is native to subtropical Southeast
Asia. The Arabians were the first people
to mention citrus in their writings, and
our word for this fruit is derived from
their Sanskirt name. The Moors brought
these plants to Spain, where they were
used medicinally and in religious
services. Although the bitter orange
(Citrus aurantium) reached Europe by the
1000s, the sweet orange did not arrive
in India until 1330, and was planted in
Versailles in 1421. Columbus transported
oranges to South America in 1493, and by
1587 Cuba was covered with these
beautiful trees. It was the Spanish
Missionaries who brought this highly
prized fruit to California, establishing
the first orange groves in the 1700s.
- Leaf: The leaves are
shiny and leathery, oblong to
elliptic, up to 4" long, and have
narrow wings on their petioles (leaf
stems).
- Flower: Orange blossoms
are white, very fragrant, and
arranged in clusters of 1-6. They
bloom in spring and give rise to
oranges the following autumn or
winter. Last year's oranges often
are still on the trees when the new
flowers are blooming.
- Fruit: A large, round
multiple of drupes that is 4 to 5
inches in diameter. The fruit is
roundish, golden-yellow or tawny,
and several-celled, with a fleshy,
juicy pulp; the seeds white and
several. The cysts in the rind are
convex (L.). The fruit has a very
distinctive citrus smell.
- Twig: The twigs on many
orange cultivars are thorny.
- Bark: Bark of a
greenish-brown color, having
axillary spines on the branches.
- Form: The sweet orange is
a compact evergreen tree 20-30' tall
with a rounded, symmetrical crown
spreading 15-20' or so.
Taxonomic Hierarchy
|
Kingdom |
Plantae -- Plants |
Subkingdom |
Tracheobionta --
Vascular plants |
Superdivision |
Spermatophyta -- Seed
plants |
Division |
Magnoliophyta --
Flowering plants |
Class |
Magnoliopsida --
Dicotyledons |
Subclass |
Rosidae – |
Order |
Sapindales – |
Family |
Rutaceae – Rue family |
Genus |
Citrus L. –
citrus |
Species |
Citrus sinensis
(L.) Osbeck – sweet orange |
|