ORANGES FACTS

Origin and variety

• Oranges are believed to have originated in Southeast Asia around 4000 BCE.

• There are over 600 different varieties of oranges grown worldwide.

• The color orange was named after the fruit, which came first.

Nutritional facts

• One medium orange contains about 60 calories, 15.4 grams of carbohydrates, and 12 grams of sugar.

• It is a good source of dietary fiber and contains no fat or sodium.

• A medium orange provides approximately 70 milligrams of vitamin C, which is about 92% of the daily value.

• Oranges also contain potassium, folate, and other nutrients.

Other interesting facts

• About 85% of all oranges grown are used to produce juice.

• Oranges do not ripen further after they are picked.

• The peel contains oils used in products like soda and cosmetics.

• Orange trees have thorns.

• Orange trees were first brought to the Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1493.

The orange, also called sweet orange to distinguish it from the bitter orange (Citrus × aurantium), is the fruit of a tree in the family Rutaceae. Botanically, this is the hybrid Citrus × sinensis, between the pomelo (Citrus maxima) and the mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata). The chloroplast genome, and therefore the maternal line, is that of pomelo. Hybrids of the sweet orange form later types of mandarin and the grapefruit. The sweet orange has had its full genome sequenced.