sour orange
Quick Summary
The sour orange, also known as the bitter orange (Citrus aurantium), is a citrus tree primarily used as a rootstock for grafting other citrus varieties. Its fruit is also bitter.1
While the sweet orange (Citrus × sinensis) is more widely consumed as a dessert fruit and for juice, the sour orange (C. × aurantium) is less extensively grown. Sour oranges are particularly valued for making marmalade. The trees themselves have fragrant white flowers and glossy evergreen leaves. Oranges are native to tropical Asia and have been cultivated for centuries, spreading through trade and conquest.2
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