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1/3 of all oranges consumed in the Mediterranean are blood oranges. The name "blood orange" refers to the internal flesh having reddish purple spots. The fruits are very sweet and are a little smaller than a baseball. They are a novelty citrus in Florida as the reddish coloring is not as prevalent as it is in California with the same cultivars. This is largely due to soil variation in Florida. Calcareous soils of Florida do not bring out the color as much as in other areas of the country. Nonetheless, the taste is the same. It isn't clear as to why the fruit spots. Soil does have something to do with this though as those grown in California are nearly entirely reddish-purple with little or no "orange" coloring in the flesh. Tarocco, Sanguinelli and Moro are 3 very popular varieties here in Florida and are worth growing if not for their coloring, then for their taste, which is quite good and distinctively different from other oranges. Tarocco ripens from March to May; Moro from February to May; and Sanguinelli from February to April. Trees rarely reach 18 feet and are grafted onto Swingle Citrumelo (C. paradisi x Poncirus Trifoliata). (Photo from:http://www.crfg.org/photocon/1998-4c.jpg) |
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