Sweet Orange - Citrus sinensis

The Orange Tree is a beautiful fruit tree with a rounded silhouette and fast growth. It produces oranges ranging from 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4in) in diameter with juicy, pulpy flesh and a balance between sweetness and acidity. Their orange colour is due to the first frosts but is not a sign of ripeness. Harvesting takes place from November to March.

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

Cultivated for its ornamental qualities and its oranges, the Orange Tree can reach a height of 7 to 8 m (23 to 26ft) in open ground. Its spreading rounded habit highlights its beautiful dense and evergreen foliage. Its leaves are elongated, pointed, glossy on the upper side, ranging from bright green to deep green and highly fragrant.
It produces small white highly fragrant flowers followed by round oranges, ranging from 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4in) in diameter, with juicy, pulpy flesh and a balance between sweetness and acidity. Their orange colour is due to the first frosts but is not a sign of ripeness. Harvesting takes place from November to March.
Like all citrus trees, the Orange Tree contains essential oil pockets in its leaves, flowers, and fruits, often visible to the naked eye, from which essential oil is extracted through distillation (flowers and leaves) or through pressing (zest).
Most citrus trees thrive in open ground in Mediterranean coastal regions where they find the necessary warmth all year round. Elsewhere, they will be grown in pots and stored away at the first cold spells. The Orange Tree is not very hardy and starts to suffer from cold temperatures from -5°C (23°F) to -10°C (14°F).

The Orange Tree blooms from March to July and bears fruit from November to March. Fruit ripening takes between 10 and 12 months. It is a self-fertile bush, which means that a single individual is enough for complete pollination and fruit. However, if your citrus tree remains indoors permanently, you will need to occasionally let the pollinators do their work or perform hand pollination with a brush.