Citrus Aurantium

The orange, generally supposed to be a native

of the north of India. It was introduced into Arabia during the

ninth century. It was unknown in Europe in the eleventh century.

Oranges were cultivated at Seville towards the end of the twelfth

century, and at Palermo in the thirteenth. In the fourteenth

century they were plentiful in several parts of Italy. There are

many varieties of the orange in cultivation. The blood red, or

Malta, is much esteemed; the fruit is round, reddish-yellow

outside and the pulp irregularly mottled with crimson. The

Mandarin or Tangerine orange has a thin rind which separates

easily from the pulp, and is very sweet and rich. The St.

Michael's orange is one of the most productive and delicious

varieties, with a thin rind and very sweet pulp. The Seville or

bitter orange is used for the manufacture of bitter tincture and

candied orange-peel. The Bergamot orange has peculiarly fragrant

flowers and fruit, from each of which an essence of a delicious

quality is extracted.