Tangors, Tangerines & Tangelos

An interesting Citrus hybrid group are the "Tangs" - Tangors, Tangerines & Tangelos. I'm only really just discovering the difference in them recently but i think i'm getting the jist of it. Tangerines are Mandarins from Morocco & North Africa. Tangors are a hybrid of Mandarin & Orange. Tangelos are a hybrid of Mandarin & Grapefruit. Varieties i have at home are Dweet Tangor, Kiyomi Tangor, Seminole Tangelo & Ugli Tangor. I am also interested in getting a Minneola as i like the look of the protruding neck, and also a Afourer as i hear they are very flavourful & juicy.

Tangerines:
Tangerines are reddish-orange coloured citrus that is a type of Mandarin. They're smaller than an Orange, easy-peel & sweet. They arrived in Europe in the 1800′s by way of Morocco in the North of Africa, where a large varietal was grown. The name comes from Morange "tangierines" which were grown at Palatka, Florida by a Major Atway. Major Atway was said to have imported them from Tangiers, Morocco, which was the origin of the name "tangerine". These Tangerines produced a seedling which became of one of the oldest and most popular American varieties, the Dancy tangerine. The Dancy is no longer widely commercially grown; it is too delicate to handle and ship well, it is susceptible to fungus, and it bears more heavily in alternate years. Dancys are still grown in home gardens.

Tangors:
Tangors are a hybrid of a Mandarin and a sweet Orange. Hence the name, the "tang" of a tangerine/mandarin and the "or" of Orange. The fruit is medium/large in size, obovate in shape, maybe with a slight neck and has a pebbled, dark orange, easy-peel rind. The flesh is orange-colored, tender, and exceptionally sweet & juicy. Dweet Tangors are ready to eat in August. Varieties include Dweet, Ugli, Kiyomi, Afourer, Murcotts.

Tangelos:
Tangelos are a hybrid of Tangerine/Mandarin and a Pomelo/Grapefruit. They are the size of a small orange. They generally have thin, loose skin and are easier to peel than oranges. The peel colour, when mature, is a bright-reddish-orange colour. They often have a characteristic "nipple" at the stem. Varieties include Minneola & Seminole. The fruit mature in August. The sweet, intense flavor of tangerines comes through in a tangelo but is tempered by the tart and tangy, floral taste of grapefruit. This results in a fruit that is sweet-tart, exotic in flavor and extremely juicy.

Photo: Edward Peters