Seville orange is an citrus tree with fragrant white flowers and fruit with a thick, aromatic peel and sour, bitter pulp. The fruit is used to make traditional marmalade. Seville orange is also called bitter orange.
Appearance
Growth form
This evergreen tree can grow to about 30 ft (9 m).
Leaves
The dark green leaves are aromatic. The leaf stalks often have broad wings.
Flowers
Large, fragrant white flowers grow alone or in small groups.
Fruit
The round fruit has a thick, rough orange peel. The pulp tastes sour and bitter.
A ripe Seville orange has a thick, rough peel; mandarins are usually easier to peel. A leaf-only photo may not settle the difference.
Why they get mixed up · Both have glossy citrus foliage and orange fruit.
Where it lives
Typical habitats
old home sites
woodlands in peninsular Florida
Range
It is introduced in Florida, where it grows in cultivation and has escaped into parts of the peninsula.
Name and classification
About the name
Some citrus classifications place sweet oranges, grapefruit, and clementines within Citrus × aurantium. In everyday English, Seville orange usually means the sour form.
Conservation
IUCN Red List
NENot Evaluated·Not yet assessed
Culture and stories
Culture and stories
Florida growers have used sour orange as for other citrus trees.
Its peel and tart fruit are also used for liqueurs.