Best Citrus Fruit

The raised bump near the stem makes Dekopon readily recognizable among large, easy-peeling citrus. The underlying cultivar, Shiranui, originated from a Kiyomi and Ponkan cross made in Japan in 1972. Its orange rind surrounds generally seedless flesh selected for a sweet taste with relatively low aci...

Thin peel and tender, juicy flesh define Setoka, a Japanese citrus hybrid developed by the national fruit-breeding programme now associated with NARO. Its parentage combines a Kiyomi and Encore-derived selection with Murcott, making the breeding more complex than a simple two-variety cross. The resu...

The Tarocco Blood Orange is Italy's most commercially important blood orange, a Sicilian variety prized for its sweet, low-acid flavor and partially red flesh, widely considered the finest-tasting blood orange.

Beni Madonna is a premium Japanese citrus brand associated with the tangor cultivar Ehime Kashi No. 28. Developed at Ehime's prefectural fruit research station, it comes from a Nankou and Amakusa cross. Reddish-orange colouring and very juicy, tender flesh give it a distinctive presentation as a des...

Sumo Citrus is a registered American commercial brand for fruit of the Japanese Shiranui cultivar, closely associated with the name Dekopon. Developed from Japanese breeding work in the 1970s, this large citrus reached the United States commercial market in 2011 after years of preparation and cultiv...

A small secondary fruit at the blossom end gives the Washington Navel Orange its recognizable navel. This sweet-orange cultivar generally produces large, seedless fruit with a bright orange rind, making it particularly useful for fresh eating. Its history traces to a natural mutation in Bahia, Brazi...

The Improved Meyer lemon is a virus-free selection of the original Meyer lemon developed by the University of California in the 1950s and released in 1975 to eliminate the tristeza virus that had made the original a threat to citrus orchards.

An elongated, tapered shape gives Sfusato Amalfitano its name and distinguishes this lemon grown along Italy's Amalfi Coast in Campania. Its thick peel contains strongly aromatic oils, while the pale rind beneath it is important in local culinary uses. The cultivar is associated with the protected d...

The Meyer lemon is a citrus fruit native to China, discovered and introduced to the United States by agricultural explorer Frank N. Meyer in 1908. Botanically, it is a hybrid cross between a standard lemon and a mandarin or sweet orange, which accounts for its unique characteristics. The fruit is ro...

Cutting open a Cara Cara Orange reveals pink to reddish flesh beneath a rind that resembles an ordinary navel orange. The colour comes from lycopene, distinguishing it from blood oranges whose red pigmentation has a different basis. Cara Cara was discovered in 1976 as a natural mutation on a Washing...

Key lime (Citrus aurantiifolia), also known as the Mexican lime or West Indian lime, is a small, highly aromatic citrus fruit. Historically cultivated in the Florida Keys, its commercial groves in the region were largely destroyed by a 1926 hurricane, shifting production primarily to Mexico and othe...

The Tango mandarin is a seedless citrus variety developed through irradiation of the W. Murcott by agricultural researchers at the University of California, Riverside. Released for commercial production in 2006, it was specifically bred to eliminate the issue of cross-pollination that causes seeded...

The Valencia Orange is the world's most widely grown orange variety for juice production, originating in the Azores or Spain and named after Valencia, Spain, noted for its thin skin and high juice content.

The Tahiti lime, scientifically known as Citrus latifolia, is a citrus fruit characterized by its larger size, smooth rind, and lack of seeds. It is a triploid hybrid believed to be a cross between the key lime and either a citron or a lemon. The tree is generally thornless and thrives in tropical a...

The Persian lime (Citrus latifolia), also known as the Tahiti or Bearss lime, is the most widely commercially traded lime variety globally. Believed to have originated in Persia, it was introduced to California in the late 19th century. This citrus is a distinct hybrid characterized by its larger si...

A late-season mandarin hybrid also marketed as Afourer or Nadorcott, originating in Morocco and recognized as one of the sweetest commercial mandarin varieties, now widely grown in California and North Africa.

The Satsuma Mandarin (Citrus unshiu) is a cold-hardy, seedless mandarin originating in Japan, the most widely grown mandarin in Japan and prized for its easy-peeling skin and tolerance of cool climates.

The Owari Satsuma is a prominent Japanese mandarin variety belonging to the Citrus unshiu species, recognized as one of the most widely planted satsuma cultivars globally. Originating in Japan several centuries ago, it is distinguished by its cold tolerance, allowing it to be cultivated in subtropic...

The Australian finger lime (Microcitrus australasica) is a thorny understorey shrub or small tree endemic to the subtropical rainforests of eastern Australia. It produces elongated, cylindrical fruits that are distinguished by their unique juice vesicles, which are spherical and separate, resembling...

The pomelo (Citrus maxima) is the largest citrus fruit, characterized by a very thick, spongy rind and sweet, mild-tasting flesh that ranges in color from pale yellow to deep pink. Native to Southeast Asia, it is recognized as one of the foundational wild citrus ancestors from which many modern comm...

The Gold Nugget Mandarin is a late-season, seedless citrus variety developed by the University of California, Riverside, and released in 1999. It is recognized by its bumpy, orange rind and its ability to hold well on the tree after ripening. The fruit is cultivated primarily in California and is so...

Harumi is a seedless mandarin variety developed in Japan from a cross between the Kiyomi tangor and the Encore mandarin. Released in 2001, the fruit is characterized by its thin, smooth rind that peels easily and its high sugar content. It is typically harvested in the late winter and early spring,...

Oroblanco is a citrus variety developed by crossing a pomelo with a white grapefruit at the University of California, Riverside, in 1958, and released commercially in 1981. The fruit is nearly seedless and is characterized by a thick rind and flesh that is sweeter and significantly less bitter than...

The Kaffir lime, more commonly known as makrut lime (Citrus hystrix), is a citrus species native to tropical Southeast Asia. It is distinguished by its highly aromatic, double-lobed leaves and its distinctively rough, bumpy green rind. While the fruit itself contains highly bitter juice that is rare...

The Moro Blood Orange is an Italian variety originating in Sicily, distinguished by its deep burgundy to nearly black flesh, the most intensely colored of the blood oranges due to high anthocyanin levels.

The Lisbon Lemon is a variety of Citrus limon that originated in Portugal and was introduced to California in the mid-19th century. It is a vigorous, thorny tree that produces a heavy yield of smooth, bright yellow fruit containing high-quality, acidic juice. Historically important to the citrus ind...

The Bergamot Orange is a fragrant citrus fruit grown almost exclusively in Calabria, Italy, whose cold-pressed peel oil is the essential flavoring in Earl Grey tea and a key ingredient in fine perfumery.

The Minneola tangelo is a citrus hybrid resulting from a cross between a Duncan grapefruit and a Dancy tangerine, released by the USDA in 1931. It is recognized by its large size and distinctive bell shape, featuring a prominent neck or knob at the stem end. The fruit is also widely marketed under t...

The Eureka Lemon is a cultivar of Citrus limon that originated in California from seeds planted in Los Angeles during the 1850s. The tree is known for being nearly thornless and producing fruit year-round, though the main harvest occurs in winter and early spring. It became a foundational commercial...