description Fairchild Mandarin Overview
Fairchild Mandarin is a citrus hybrid released by the USDA in 1964, resulting from a cross between Clementine mandarin and Orlando tangelo. Developed at the USDA research station in Indio, California, this variety produces medium-sized fruit with deep orange rind that peels easily. The flesh offers rich, sweet flavor but typically contains numerous seeds when cross-pollination occurs. Fairchild trees bear reliably in hot, arid citrus-growing regions and were once more widely planted commercially.
The variety remains popular among home gardeners in the southwestern United States and appears in specialty citrus collections.
help Fairchild Mandarin FAQ
What is the parentage of the Fairchild mandarin?
Fairchild is a hybrid of Clementine mandarin and Orlando tangelo. J. R. Furr made the cross at the USDA Date and Citrus Station in Indio, California, and the variety was released in 1964. [UC Riverside Citrus Variety Collection](https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/crc3559)
What does a Fairchild mandarin taste and feel like?
The fruit has deep-orange skin, juicy flesh, and a rich, sweet flavor when ripe. It commonly contains many seeds, and the UC Riverside collection notes that the rind is not especially easy to peel compared with some modern mandarins.
When is Fairchild mandarin usually harvested?
Fairchild is an early to early-mid-season mandarin, with ripening around late December in the Riverside collection. The variety was developed for desert conditions in California and Arizona, where it can provide an early-season crop.
How is Fairchild different from a Clementine?
Fairchild is not a pure Clementine because Orlando tangelo is the other parent in its 1964 cross. It is generally juicier and richly flavored, but it is also more noticeably seedy and less consistently easy to peel than the Clementine shoppers often expect.
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