Types and varieties of tangerines: photo and description, names

Types of mandarins include about 200 varieties, hybrids and other varieties. They are classified according to various criteria, for example, by skin color and taste. Hybrids and dwarf varieties are distinguished into a separate group, which are quite easy to grow at home.

What are tangerines

There are a lot of classifications of species and varieties of tangerines. Based on different criteria:

• color – red, yellow, green;
• taste – sweet, sweet and sour;
• hybrids – obtained from crossing two or three crops;
• region of origin – Turkish, Chinese, Moroccan, Abkhaz.

There is also a scientific classification, according to which all varieties are combined into seven large pomological groups:

1. Citrus unshiu are dwarf Japanese varieties suitable for temperate climates. This group includes trees that are grown in Abkhazia, Georgia and the Crimea.
2. Citrus austere are the sweetest orange-skinned tangerines cultivated in the USA.
3. Citrus deliciosa is grown in China and the Mediterranean region. It can also be grown as a home bush.
4. Citrus reticulate is a Chinese-Indian group: such trees can be found in Brazil, the Philippines and Taiwan.
5. Citrus nobilis (noble tangerines) – Indian-Malay group: the main growing region is Southeast Asia. The skin is thick, the taste is pleasant, sweet, the flesh is juicy.
6. Sino-Japanese group – dwarf varieties, often grown at home.
7. Hybrids – a variety of forms obtained by crossing different varieties and types of citrus fruits with each other.

There are more than 200 varieties of tangerines

Classification of mandarin varieties by color

One of the simplest classifications of practical importance is the division of fruits depending on their color. According to this indicator, they are divided into red, yellow and green.

Varieties of red tangerines

Red tangerines are distinguished not only by their visual appeal, but also by their very sweet taste. They give a slight sourness, and often the fruits are completely sweet, without any aftertaste. The peel is bright orange, closer to red, often glossy. The flesh is the same color, sometimes a little lighter. The list of the most popular varieties of red tangerines includes Clementine, Ellendale, Tangelo and other varieties.

Clementines

A well-known variety sold in many retail chains. It is a hybrid (obtained from crossing with another citrus – orange). The color of the peel is rich orange, the flesh is sweet, almost without sourness.

Clementine fruits are slightly flattened from above and below, the size is small

Ellendale

A variety of large tangerines with a loose skin that is easily separated from the pulp. The color is rich orange, close to red. The pulp is very fragrant, sweet, does not contain seeds. The variety is obtained by several crossings of tangerines with oranges and tangerines (one of the citrus fruits).

Tangelo

This is a popular variety of mandarins, belonging to the noble species. The color is bright orange, the skin is dense, the surface is bumpy. Flattened oval shape. This variety is also obtained by crossing a tangerine tree and pomelo.

Tangelo is also called an orange (other names: tangor, tangelo)

Varieties of yellow tangerines

These varieties have a yellow skin, closer to lemon or light orange, often with greenish patches. They are also quite sweet and juicy, although they are more acidic. The most common are Moroccan, Chinese and Abkhazian varieties of mandarin.

Moroccan

Fruits with a golden skin that is easy to peel. The pulp is sweet, almost without sourness, does not contain seeds. The size is medium, the appearance is very attractive. Another advantage is the affordable price.

Moroccan tangerines are often marked with a black sticker.

Chinese

One of the first to appear on the market, they have a rough and thick skin. The taste is average, the pulp is not so juicy. At the same time, they are affordable, so they are in demand.

Chinese fruits are almost always delivered along with leaves on twigs.

However, the Chinese varieties are not as juicy, they peel worse, have a thick skin, and they are also larger than the Abkhaz ones.

Abkhaz

Abkhazian – the most popular variety of yellow tangerines in Our Country

They have juicy flesh with a balanced sweet and sour taste. The peel is loose, loose, peeled off very easily. There are no seeds in such fruits, so they can be eaten fresh or juiced without much difficulty.

Varieties of green tangerines

Green varieties in Our Country and neighboring countries are practically not found. They are grown mainly in the Philippines.

Green Philippine Mandarin

The color is dark green, like swamp mud. The surface is bumpy, while the flesh is very beautiful – orange.

Philippine fruits are juicy and sweet, have a good aroma

Tangerine

Tangerine (not to be confused with Tangelo) – a green Thai species

The color is rich green, somewhat reminiscent of the color of lime, with yellowish patches. They ripen quite quickly, have a pleasant sweet taste. There is also a characteristic citrus smell, but it is not so pronounced.

Varieties of sweet tangerines

The sweet ones are mainly red varieties, although there are other examples. The following are included in the rating of the most delicious varieties:

1. Robinsons are sweet and juicy fruits with a bright orange skin that is smooth to the touch. The shape is oval, flattened. The only drawback is that it is tightly adjacent to the pulp and is difficult to remove from it.

   

2. Temple (Royal Mandarin) – the pulp is sweet, the taste resembles an orange, there are seeds.

   

3. Cleopatra is an Indian species that is grown in other countries (Australia, USA, Spain). The fruits are small, the skin is bright, thin, the taste is very sweet.

   

4. Dancy fruits are sweet and juicy, but the trees are not immune to pests and can be severely affected by insects.

   

Sweet tangerines have the most pleasant taste.

Hybrid varieties of mandarins

There are a lot of hybrid varieties of tangerine trees – only the most famous of them are described below:

1. September bred in Abkhazia (Sukhumi) one of the first in the USSR. It belongs to the early ones, the crop is harvested from September to October, for which the hybrid got its name. The fruits are small in size, the skin is thin, easy to peel off. Taste with a balance of sour and sweet.

   

2. Royal bred in Pakistan and then perfected in California. The taste is pleasant, rich, with a rich aroma.

   

3. Kumquat reale is a triple hybrid derived from different species. It has an unusual oblong shape and a sweet and sour rich taste, it also has a large number of seeds. The fruit can be eaten with the skin on. This bush can be grown not only in the garden, but also at home.

   

4. Rangpur is a hybrid obtained from crossing with a lemon. A noticeable sourness is noticeable in the taste, while the fruits are small – no more than 5 cm in diameter.

   

5. Mineola is derived from Dancy mandarin and Duncan grapefruit. Fruits are large, weighing more than 80 g each. The skin is bright orange, in the pulp a pronounced sweetness with sourness is noticeable. The composition contains folic acid – in 130 g (2 fruits) 100% of the daily dose.

   

6. Nova is a hybrid based on tangelo Orlando and clementine, which grows in the southern states of the United States. Fruits are juicy and sweet, large – by weight they reach 100 g or more.

   

Varieties of tangerines for home growing

At home, it is convenient to breed dwarf varieties of mandarin, which grow to a height of no more than 100–120 cm. They grow normally in room conditions, subject to certain care rules (watering, fertilizing, loosening, wintering imitation).

Even in an apartment you can get a harvest of fruit

The best varieties of tangerines for indoor growing include the following:

1. Homemade Pavlovsky grows up to 1 m, the fruits are large, weighing 60–80 g, reminiscent of oranges in aroma.

   

2. Anniversary – bred in the USSR on the basis of orange and Miagawa Vase. It produces large, fragrant fruits with a balance of sweet and sour taste.

   

3. Imperator is a productive dwarf tangerine that bears fruit in December. The skin is loose, peeled off easily, the pulp is sweet, with a pleasant taste.

   

4. Unshiu gives a beautiful bush with wide decorative leaves. It can also be grown for fruits.

   

5. Imperial – fruits weighing 60-80 g, the taste is sweet. Harvest ripens from November to December.

   

Seedless tangerine varieties

Among the popular varieties of pitted tangerines you can find the following names:

1. Satsuma – fruits are small (up to 30 g) with a loose, bumpy skin. The pulp is rough, not very juicy, slices of different sizes, taste with noticeable sourness.

   

2. Unshiu is an Abkhazian species with juicy, fleshy flesh and a pleasant sour aftertaste. The shape is round, flattened at the base, the skin is bumpy, the fruits are quite large (weight 70–100 g).

   

3. Nadorcott is a Moroccan variety, pitted or with a minimum amount. The taste is moderately sweet, the slices are reddish in color, the peel is easily separated.

   

Conclusion

Types of tangerines are extremely diverse. They are crossed both among themselves and with other citrus fruits – orange, lemon, grapefruit. Therefore, tangerine fruits have a different taste, appearance, size and even shape.