Hybrid fruits are an interesting selection. What is the name and look of a hybrid of orange and tangerine

So many of us love citrus fruits like lemon, lime or grapefruit. But there are many more species that can be found on store shelves today. There are also a large number of combinations of favorite fruits, tasty and interesting hybrids. One of these is a hybrid of mandarin and orange.

What is the name of this interesting fruit? A hybrid of the orange, which shares some of the features of its orange cousin, is called clementine. You can often find the name mineola, but in fact it is a mixture of grapefruit, or rather orange and grapefruit. There is an opinion that this is a hybrid lemon, which is fundamentally wrong. Lemon mixed with orange is a mixture of lemonade orange. Mandarin and Lemon - Limandrin, which is also another fruit that is sometimes mistakenly called clementine. .

Clementines belong to the tangelo family, or as they are also called tangerines. Since it was the crossed orange and tangelo that became the parents of this species. The variety got its name from the father of Clementine, who, in fact, grew the fruit. Back in 1902, he tried to grow a tangerine that would become tastier and sweeter, and he succeeded.

Outwardly, this fruit completely resembles a tangerine, but the pulp is sweeter in taste. In addition, the variety has a rind that is significantly thinner, although it is quite tough. The color remains the same bright orange.

Varieties of the hybrid

Since this species has excellent taste characteristics, interesting selections can be found today. What are the most popular varieties of mandarin hybrid?

There are three main known crossbreeds of clementines:

• Spanish. It is divided into two types: the fruits of one are large in size, the other is small. It also differs in the number of bones.
• Montreal. Perhaps the rarest mixture of clementine. Grown in Spain and Algeria. The fruits contain more than 12 seeds.
• Corsican. The most delicious and popular fruit. It got its name from the place of growth. It is noted for its good taste and lack of bones inside.

general characteristics

Often this fruit is found in winter: it appears on the shelves in November, and remains until February. The fruits are very sweet, juicy and fragrant. It is believed that a hybrid of orange and tangerine is the best antidepressant, especially in such a cold and dark time.

A distinctive feature is a brighter orange peel and a flattened shape. The shelf life of clementines is quite long. You just need to create all the conditions for them, then they keep fresh for more than a month.

The composition is characterized by a large amount of vitamin B and various minerals. Also, the fruit is rich in copper, ascorbic acid and other beneficial substances. In addition, the variety contains a low amount of sugar, although it is very sweet, so it is considered one of the low-calorie varieties. It has a good effect on the digestive tract, eliminates digestive problems, is excellent for the prevention of colds, improves appetite and improves immunity, like any citrus.

Citrus hybrids are very popular. Many people like clementine, mineola, red orange. A hybrid of lemon and orange is a very rare variety. It can be grown at home.

A hybrid of a lemon and an orange is called a Meyer lemon.

Origin of the Lemon-Orange Hybrid

Everyone's favorite orange is a hybrid of pomelo and tangerine, which was bred and cultivated in China even before our era, and lemon is not a hybrid plant. Oranges and lemons were crossed with other citrus fruits, getting a variety of plants, with new properties and taste of the fruit.

Very little is known about the origin of the true lemon/orange hybrid. They were first crossed together by the American explorer Frank Nicholas Meyer in 1908. Therefore, the species was called the Meyer lemon. Ornamental Meyer lemon trees are popular in China. In the United States, hybrid fruits have been eaten since the 1990s.

The origin and characteristics of the Meyer tree are controversial among breeders. Many say it's more of an orange than a lemon. Others argue that the properties of a lemon in a plant are much greater than orange ones. Therefore, the mixed species received a comprehensive name - a hybrid of a lemon with a Meyer orange.

Meyer lemon is very popular in China

General characteristics of the hybrid

Meyer's lemon is a rather rare plant, we cannot find it in supermarkets. Meyer lemon-orange is grown in private gardens, greenhouses and as ornamental plants in pots.

A mixture of lemon and orange has the following characteristics:

1. The plant has an average vigor of growth. Trees reach two meters in height. With regular pruning, the height may be less. The tree has a large crown.
2. The leaves are dark green in color, smooth and shiny, have an oval, pointed shape. Hybrid lemon leaves have a pleasant smell.
3. The flowers are white, purple at the base, have an unusual aroma.
4. The variety is frost-resistant. The plant can be grown in any region at home.
5. Flower buds form even on the youngest shoots.

The first fruits can be obtained as early as 2-3 years of plant life. Meyer's mixture bears fruit all year round, gives a rich harvest. He doesn't need time to rest.

The hybrid tree is very hardy and unpretentious. Even a novice grower can grow it.

Meyer Lemon-Orange Fruit

From one indoor Meyer tree, you can collect about three kilograms of fruit per year. Pomeranians have the following qualities:

1. The weight of one fruit is 100-150 grams.
2. The fruits are round.
3. The color of the fruit is more yellow than that of a true lemon.
4. The skin of the orange is thin, smooth and fragrant.
5. The pulp is juicy, bright orange in color.
6. The taste is moderately sour with a hint of noble bitterness.

The fruit of the Meyer hybrid is not as sour as the popular varieties of lemons sold in the supermarket. This is due to the chemical composition of the juice. It contains less citric acid and more fructose.

The fruits of the Meyer hybrid are rich in vitamin C, which makes them a valuable product. There is no need to talk about the benefits of vitamin C. It is involved in all biological processes of the human body.

One lemon weighs up to 150 grams

General rules for caring for a Meyer tree

The tradition of growing hybrid lemons at home came to Europe from China. Growing a Meyer tree at home is not difficult. With proper care, the lemon will grow large and produce rich harvests.

Things to consider when caring for a lemon-orange:

• irrigation regime and air humidity level;
• optimal temperature regime;
• feeding;
• pruning, crown formation;
• tree transplant mode;
• disease prevention.

The rules for caring for a Meyer hybrid differ little from the standard rules for growing citrus fruits. There are only a few salient features.

Lemon in the wild grows in the tropics. The climate there is hot and dry. This must be taken into account when growing plants at home. A hybrid lemon is unpretentious, if you immediately create optimal conditions for it, it will not cause any trouble.

Temperature and light conditions for Meyer lemon

Lemon-orange hybrid is a frost-resistant plant. But this does not mean that he will feel normal and develop correctly at -10 degrees. He just can tolerate a drop in temperature. The optimum temperature for the Meyer tree is 20–25 degrees. In winter, the temperature should be 10-15 degrees. It is necessary to protect the plant from drafts.

Direct sunlight harms all plants, even tropical ones. They burn the leaves. The lemon should be exposed to high-intensity diffused light.

Meyer lemon feels good at 20-25 degrees Celsius

Watering and humidity

Meyer lemons don't like drought. The optimal mode of watering the plant depends on the season:

• in spring and summer, the plant is watered every other day;
• in autumn and winter moderate watering twice a week.

It's not just the soil that needs to be watered. It is very important to spray the crown in order to maintain internal pressure in the leaves.

For irrigation and spraying use only pre-prepared water. The water temperature should be 20-25 degrees.

The humidity in the room for the normal development of the tree should not fall below 60%.

Feeding

It is necessary to apply fertilizer only during the period of activation of the growth of the Meyer lemon - from the beginning of spring to the end of summer. The plant needs nitrogen supplements. It is better to give preference to fertilizers in liquid form, to combine top dressing with watering.

As fertilizers, you can use compost tea, fish emulsion, certain types of algae.

The acid-base balance of the soil in which the tree grows must always remain neutral.

Compost tea is good for lemon nutrition

Transplanting and pruning Meyer lemon

The first three years of a lemon-orange's life should be transplanted annually. Then you need to leave the plant alone for five years. Changing the place of residence will reduce the level of fruiting. Each transplant must be carried out in a larger pot so that the root system has enough room to grow. A clod of earth on the roots must be preserved. Drainage is laid out at the bottom of the tub so that there is no stagnation of moisture. For hybrid lemon, use a standard citrus soil mix.

Plant pruning is carried out for aesthetic and practical purposes. Lateral branches are pruned to relieve the load on the fruiting shoots. Pruning also allows you to give the plant the desired shape. There are two options for the shape of the crown:

• bush;
• standard.

The bush form is created at the stage of rooting the cutting. There are three shoots left on it, directed in different directions. Bush lemon begins to bear fruit earlier, but also grows stronger.

Standard plants have a strong trunk without side branches. The rounded crown begins at a certain level of trunk height. The standard lemon looks very beautiful, but it brings the first fruits only in the fourth year of life.

Bush lemon begins to bear fruit before standard

Diseases and pests

The main plus of a lemon-orange hybrid is disease resistance. True species do not have this quality.

The characteristic signs of the disease are damaged leaves (insects gnaw through them), leaf fall, the appearance of plaque on the trunk and twigs.

Also, the tree can hurt if the rules of care are violated. It is harmed by excessive and insufficient watering, direct sunlight, temperature changes.

Meyer lemon is a beautiful and productive plant. It is not difficult to grow it at home. The fruits successfully combine the positive features of lemon and orange, have a unique chemical composition.

At the very beginning of the last century, the American Franz Meyer, traveling in China, discovered an unfamiliar variety of the most famous citrus fruit near Beijing. The plant was grown by the locals in small pots, no one knew what it was called, but it was believed that it was a hybrid of a lemon and a sweet orange. It became known as the Chinese dwarf or simply Chinese lemon. Meyer brought him home, studied for a long time, trying to establish the origin, to study the features. As a result, this hybrid of orange and lemon became widespread in the New and Old Worlds, the name "Meyer hybrid" or "Meyer lemon hybrid" was firmly established behind it.

The most familiar type of citrus fruit, crossed with an orange, is a short, very pretty plant with a compact crown covered with dark green medium-sized leaves of regular shape. Its white flowers with a bluish or purple tint, often solitary, but sometimes collected in brushes, are much smaller than those of familiar plants. The fruits are small, up to 100 grams in weight, round, covered with yellow or somewhat orange, glossy shiny skin. The fruits are very juicy, sweet, with a characteristic aroma, they are similar in composition to the progenitor, but contain slightly less ascorbic acid.

A beautiful tree no more than 1 meter high grows well in apartments, like other indoor varieties of citrus fruits. For a year, it can give 10 or even more fruits that are formed on the shoots of the current year. There has long been a hybrid of lemon and bitter orange called bergamot. This word is well known to us, since teas are flavored with oil from the fruits of this plant. Fruits, like the fruits of bitter orange, are not used for food, but are used for flavoring in cooking, perfumery, in the manufacture of liquors, tinctures. The word is fixed in the name of the fragrant variety of pear, but it has nothing to do with the smell of tea with bergamot.

Is it possible to cross a lemon at home

The Europeans received the Meyer hybrid already in finished form, it is difficult to say whether it was bred on purpose or it happened by chance. Many lovers of exotic plants grow lemon at home, but only the most patient can cross it with other plants. As a rule, this is done by specialists, using seeds and cuttings of plants of the desired varieties and species.

If desired, you can try to breed a completely new plant by crossing it by grafting (budding) with oranges, tangerines, grapefruits or other citrus fruits.

It is quite possible to achieve an original mixture of qualities and flavors, but this may take many years before a truly new variety or variety is obtained.

Other lemon hybrids

There are many results of crosses with other citrus fruits, since they do not grow in our country, often when we meet interesting fruits, we do not even know what it is. You can find yellow-orange chino-lemon fruits with the acidity of the named fruit and notes of orange. Small teardrop-shaped, which is reflected in the name, the fruits of the Drop variety with delicate sour, very juicy flesh and skin, slightly smelling of mint, are nothing more than a cross between a Meyer plant and a kumquat. It was created by painstaking American breeders.

Thai variety is a hybrid of mandarin with sour fruit and sweet orange. Its fruits are large, orange, peel like a ripe tangerine, taste like sour citrus, only much sweeter. Lemon was crossed with mandarin and received limandarin or rangpur. Dark orange fruits are very sour in taste, grow no more than 5 cm in diameter. This plant is characterized by high yield, drought resistance, trees can grow from 2 to 5 meters tall. Strong trees are often used as rootstock for other, more capricious citrus relatives. The Japanese call it haim, and the Brazilians call it kravo.

There is also a variety of Lipo - a mixture with grapefruit, in the London Royal Botanic Gardens it is called the imperial lemon. This spiny plant has large dark green leaves, large white flowers, and a rounded crown. Its fruits favorably combine the tastes of the fruits of the original plants, they are juicy, not too sour, with a characteristic bitterness, covered with a thin yellow skin rich in essential oils.

Health

New Year holidays are always associated with tangerines. These juicy, sweet, fragrant citrus fruits are a must for the New Year's table.

However, few people know what is the use of this fruit, can it harm, how to choose and store it correctly. We have collected all the most interesting about tangerines for you.

Properties tangerine

Homeland tangerine - China. Tangerines have been known to be grown in China and Japan for over 3,000 years. Currently, these delicious citrus fruits have taken root well after cultivation in Georgia, Abkhazia, Turkey, Greece, southern France, Portugal and Spain.

Mandarins tend to grow on tree or shrub up to 4 m in height. They are densely covered with small green leaves. When tangerines ripen, the fruit turns orange.

The shade of the ripe fruit depends on the variety and varies from yellow-orange to dark orange.

Distinctive property tangerine lies in the fact that when peeling, a stable and strong aroma is felt in the air. This smell is created by essential oils that are contained in the peel of the fruit.

At present, the tangerines that we buy are hybrid (that is, crossed with other citrus fruits) and are as follows:

1. Mandarin with grapefruit called tangerine. This tangerine is lightweight and easy to peel.

2. There is also a hybrid of mandarin and grapefruit, which is called natsumikan. It has a sweet taste.

3. A tangerine crossed with an orange is called tangor. The tangora has bright orange flesh, a flattened shape and a sweet taste.

4. A hybrid of mandarin and lemon is called citrandarine and has a sour taste.

5. Mandarin crossed with icang citrus is called ichandarin. This variety has a small size and a sour taste.

6. A hybrid of mandarin and citrus kumquat is called calamondin. This tangerines tend to be very small.

7. Another variety of mandarin, crossed with an orange (variety of kinglets), is called clementine. These are the most common tangerines with a very sweet taste.

Benefits of Mandarin

Tangerines beckon us with their unique and familiar flavor from childhood. But it is worth eating one tangerine, as very soon they all disappear. Why do we love tangerines so much? The answer is very simple: benefit tangerine obvious and undeniable.

Benefits of Mandarin:

• It is a source of magnesium and vitamin C
• Tangerines are a decongestant
• Tangerines can lower blood sugar levels, so these fruits are recommended for diabetics.
• For colds and fever, tangerines act as an antipyretic
• These citrus fruits improve metabolic processes in the body.
• Tangerines improve appetite
• The benefit of tangerine lies in the fact that they improve expectoration for colds, or rather, their peel has this property.
• The benefits of tangerine are used even for cosmetic purposes for skin diseases (some fungi and acne are eliminated through this fruit)
• Mandarin oil is used as an anti-cellulite agent
• These fruits contain vitamin B12, which reduces the appearance of gray hair and prevents hair loss.

Harm tangerine

1. If speak about harm tangerine, then this mainly applies to pregnant women who are advised to consume no more than 1-2 tangerines per day, since these citrus fruits can cause diathesis in an unborn child.

2. Eating these citrus fruits in large quantities is undesirable for those people who have diseases. gastrointestinal tract (ulcer, colitis, cholecystitis, kidney disease, gastritis or others).

3. The harm of mandarin lies in the fact that, like other citrus fruits, they are strong allergen, therefore, they should not be consumed by those who are allergic to citrus fruits. This is especially true for children who often develop diathesis, various redness and rash appear. It should be noted that with age, an allergy to citrus fruits often disappears.

Calorie tangerine

Calorie tangerine(per 100 g) is about 37 Kcal, which provides 31% of the daily requirement of vitamin C. That is why the tangerine diet has become so popular.

Also 100g tangerine contains:

• Proteins - 0.8 g
• Fats - 0.2 g
• Carbohydrates - 7.2 g
• Dietary fiber - 1.9 g.

Tangerines for the New Year

It is known that tangerines for the New Year's table first appeared in China. It was in this country that the tradition of giving tangerines for the new year.

The Chinese consider these fruits to be the personification of financial well-being. Therefore, when they come to visit for the New Year, they always give two tangerines the owners of the house. Seeing off the guest, the owners of the house, in turn, also present two other tangerines to the guests. Thus, they wish each other financial well-being.

So we, in the former USSR, have taken root in the tradition of exhibiting tangerines for the New Year holidays without fail. Although for a long time in the Soviet Union people never saw these citrus fruits - this applies to the post-war 50s.

At the dawn of the Soviet Empire, the first tangerines for the New Year appeared in Abkhazia, where they were successfully grown. It was the Abkhaz fruits that ripened in December and were distributed throughout the USSR on the main holiday of the country.

How to choose tangerines

We all love tangerines and willingly buy them. But what is our disappointment when we bring fruits home, start peeling them and ... what a horror! Tangerines rotten, frozen, not ripe or with a fungus, that is not subject to eating.

Have you been in such a situation? Then check out our tips on how to how to choose tangerines.

It should be noted that the tangerine season is winter. However, these citrus fruits can be seen on the shelves all year round, as improved methods their cultivation and storage.

To keep tangerines for a long time, they are covered with wax. Wax itself is harmless to us, but it can hide defects at the fruit.

Signs of a ripe tangerine

1. Ripe fruits have a thin skin and are easy to peel.

2. Many sellers let you try their product. Do not be lazy and eat 1-2 tangerine slices. Make sure the fruit has tender and sweet orange flesh (but remember that depending on the variety, the mandarin may contain seeds).

3. Do not buy fruits with spots, very soft or empty fruits inside.

Store tangerines after purchase in a closed container and in the refrigerator. In this state, they almost do not lose their properties within a week. But it's best to eat them as quickly as possible to get the most out of the taste and nutrients of the tangerine.

Recipes with tangerines

We offer several popular recipes with tangerines.

Mandarin salad

Ingredients:

• 600 g mandarin
• Thinly sliced ​​bell pepper
• 2 large coarsely grated carrots
• 60 g green peas
• 3 chopped onions
• 90 g chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• Greenery.

For many decades, breeders have been trying to get new varieties of plants: more successful for consumption, or more convenient in harvesting and transportation. Scientists are also trying to grow crops that are more resistant to harsh environmental conditions, such as drought or frost, or resistant to disease. In some cases, as a result of selection, rather curious plants are obtained. So, when crossing genetically different forms, hybrid cultures are obtained. And today we will talk about what is the crossing of a mandarin and a lemon, a hybrid of an orange and a mandarin.

Hybrid of orange and tangerine

clementines

The plant that is known as the result of crossing an orange and a tangerine (hybrid) is clementine. Such a culture appeared around the beginning of the last century, and in terms of the type of fruit, it is very similar to tangerine. But there are several important differences.

Clementine fruits have a particularly juicy, sweet-tasting pulp. The crust of such fruits is quite hard, painted in a bright orange color. At the same time, its thickness is minimal. If we compare clementine with mandarin, then the fruits of the first have a slightly more flattened shape.

The leaves of the plant look dense, painted in dense green color. They are quite small in size. The edge of the leaf blades looks a little jagged. Interestingly, in the axils of the clementine leaves there are short spikes.

To date, three varieties of clementines are grown. Their main differences are the number of seeds and the size of the fruit.

So, Corsican clementines are covered with a peel, painted in a particularly bright and rich orange color. Their pulp can be described as very fragrant. It contains no seeds at all.

Spanish clementines come in two varieties, of different sizes. Each fruit can contain no more than ten seeds.

Also found in the culture of Montreal clementines. These fruits are grown mostly in Spain. Their flesh is especially tender and fragrant. This variety of clementines is considered quite rare.

Readers of "Popular about Health" may accidentally find clementines in an ordinary supermarket in Russia and other CIS countries.

tangerines

Another result of crossing a mandarin and an orange is a hybrid called tangerine. Such fruits have a characteristic elongated shape, and their skin looks loose and can be easily peeled. The color of the skin is intense orange-red. The size of the fruits is medium-sized, but their aroma and juiciness is simply mesmerizing. The peel of tangerines has a particularly rich citrus scent. And the pulp does not contain a large number of seeds.

The sweetness of tangerines allows them to be eaten fresh or used to make a tasty, healthy and highly aromatic juice. And this is despite the fact that in the case of this hybrid, the mandarin was crossed with a bitter orange ...

Tangor

This rather rare plant was obtained by crossing an ordinary (sweet) orange with a tangerine. Although some sources indicate that tangor is a hybrid of tangerine and orange. Such citrus fruits produce medium-sized fruits with a thick skin that is easily peeled off. Their flesh has a sweet and sour taste and a very attractive aroma.

Hybrid of lemon and tangerine

Among the various citrus hybrids is rangpur, which is also often called limandarin. It is the result of crossing a mandarin with a lemon.

Such a citrus fruit is characterized by a particularly sour taste, but its peel and pulp are colored orange and even dark orange. And in shape, such a fruit is more like a tangerine. The average diameter of such fruits is five centimeters. It is easy to clean, the skin is thin and dense.

Limandarins probably began to be grown in India. Now such plants are successfully cultivated in some countries of the world in order to obtain attractive fruits.

Rangpur fruits can be used in cooking. Marmalade is prepared on their basis, and is also used for canning. It is difficult to eat them fresh, although there are lovers.

Some Indians combine tangerine juice with lemon juice to make a particularly flavorful drink.

Additional Information

All kinds of citrus fruits, including those listed above, can bring huge health benefits. Such fruits contain a huge amount of vitamin C. As you know, this substance must enter our body every day, supporting the functioning of the immune system, preventing or slowing down the aging process, and also protecting body cells from aggressive environmental influences.

In addition, vitamin C can play a role in the prevention of cancer.

All citrus fruits are also good sources of B vitamins that improve mood, eliminate insomnia and problems with skin and hair. Also, the components of such fruits have a positive effect on general health, on the activity of the heart, blood vessels, brain and liver. Citrus fruits contain a lot of phytoncides - unique substances that can destroy aggressive viruses and bacteria or suppress their development.

Thus, amazing hybrids of tangerines and oranges, as well as lemons and tangerines, can be a good addition to the usual diet.