Citrus sinensis 'Washington Navel'

The 'Washington Navel' Orange, Citrus sinensis in Latin, is a beautiful fruit tree with a rounded silhouette and fast growth. This variety, whose fruits are found everywhere in shops, is unanimously appreciated for its productivity, vigour, and delicious quality of its oranges. They peel very easily and contain both crunchy and juicy flesh, seedless, with a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity. The harvest takes place from December to March.

The Orange Tree is a tree native to Southeast Asia. It was introduced to Southern Europe, on the shores of the Mediterranean, in the year 1000 by the Arabs.

Cultivated on a large scale in Californian orchards where it finds an ideal climate, the 'Washington Navel' Orange can reach 6 to 7 metres (20 to 23 feet) in height when grown in the ground but will remain much smaller if grown in a pot or container. This variety is also known as 'Bahia', the Brazilian city from which it was imported to the U.S.A. in 1870.

With a rounded spreading habit, this vigorous bush has beautiful, dense and evergreen foliage. Its leaves are elongated, pointed, shiny on the upper side, ranging from bright green to dark green, and very aromatic when crushed. It produces many small white flowers with waxy texture and remarkable fragrance in early spring (March-April). After pollination by insects, they give way to round oranges, 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4in) in diameter, characterised by a deep depression on the top called 'navel'. Under a fairly smooth and thin skin, there is juicy and pulpy flesh with a very pleasant flavour. The orange colour only develops under the effect of cold; it is not a sign of ripeness. The fruits, which take about 1 year to ripen, can be harvested starting from December.

Like all Citrus trees, the Orange Tree contains essential oil glands in its leaves, flowers, and fruits, which can be extracted by distillation (flowers and leaves) or pressing (zest). Most citrus trees thrive in the ground in Mediterranean coastal regions, where they find the necessary warmth all year round. They will be grown in pots and protected from the first cold weather elsewhere. Not very hardy, the Washington Navel Orange tree starts to suffer from cold temperatures at -5°C (23°F) and dies at -8°C (17.6°F).

The 'Washington Navel' Orange is a self-fertile bush, meaning a single individual is sufficient for complete pollination and fruiting. However, if your citrus tree remains indoors permanently, you must allow pollinators to do their work occasionally or, if delicate enough, perform pollination by hand with a brush.