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Mandarin, Tangerine

Scientific Name: Citrus reticulata Blanco
Family: Rutaceae

Tangerine flower, fruit and leaves (Citrus reticulata), U.S.D.A. Drawing, courtesy Hunt Institute

Recommended Temperature Zone:
Sunset®: 8-9, 12-24
USDA: 9b-11

Sun Exposure: Full sun

Growth Habits: Tree

Watering Needs: Don't let the soil dry completely, needs good drainage

Tree of attractive growth habit, fairly resistant to cold, whose beauty is enhanced by the waxy, deep orange-colored fruit in season. Dancy ripens before Christmas, as does Clementine, which can be "stored on the tree" in good condition for months. Closely related are the cold-hardy and early dwarf Owari Satsuma, which ripens from October to Christmas, and the Kara, Honey and Kinnow mandarins.

Variety	Zones (Sunset)	Maturity Zone 13	Remarks
Clementine	8,9,12-24	Nov-January	(Algerian tangerine) sweet, very rich flavor in a deep orange fruit. Few seeds (3-6). Produces more with 'Dancy'as a pollinator.
Daisy	8,9,12-24	Dec-January	Hybrid between a 'Fortune' clementine and 'Fremont' mandarin. Deep orange color. Sweet, but acid, with the acidity persisting as the fruit ages. Seedy (15-20 seeds). Self-fertile.
Dancy	8,9,12-24	Dec-January	Deep red-orange, smooth and glossy skin. (10-14 seeds)
Fairchild	8,9,12-24	Nov-December	Hybrid between a 'Clementine' mandarin and an 'Orlando' tangelo. Fruit about 2.5 inches in diameter, nearly round to semi-flat, sweet and very juicy, moderately seedy, not as seedy as 'Kinnow' (10-14 seeds). 'Temple' is a good pollinator for it.
Kinnow	8,9,12-24	Dec-February	Hybrid between 'King' x 'Willow-leaf'. Sweet, aromatic and juicy but with often a seedy fruit (12-24 seeds). Tends to alternate bears.

Source: University of Arizona: Cooperative Extension

Links:
Low desert citrus varieties

List of All the Plants | More in the Rutaceae family

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