Today I will take a walk through the biology and historical data of Citrus sinensis, the historical origin of citrus is about twenty million years ago, in the Tertiary era, but those varieties, little resemble the current sweet oranges.
▶ Citrus fruits have been cultivated for more than 4000 years. Their fruits apparently attracted the attention of primitive settlers, who took care of cultivating them long before the appearance of European countries where they were brought by the first travelers thanks to the captivating appearance of their fruits and flowers.
▶ Credits: freshozity – [Image of Public Domain]
Sweet oranges, originally from southeast China, were probably brought to Europe by the Romans, but there is evidence of orange cultivation before the destruction of Pompeii, as seen in a mosaic among the ruins of the city. It is known that Europeans knew it and its references are found in manuscripts and ancient documents.
Citrus fruits arrived in America from the Caribbean and Brazil, which was the first place they reached. But their arrival was only the beginning of a constant improvement in the product. In our continent, citrus research and improvement began with the theories of Mendel and Darwin.
The USA has been a leader in the development of citrus production technology. First California and then Florida became the main centers of research and production worldwide. This led to the appearance of new varieties created by men, such as tangalos, citranges and limequat.
NOTE: Reference material.