Orange Kinglet

We often see this name when we buy fruits in markets or supermarkets. Meanwhile, the "kinglet" is not a separate variety, but a whole group of oranges. Their main distinguishing feature is the color of the skin. In red beetles, it is not orange, as usual, but bright orange; often it can be described rather as red. For this reason, the plants are also known under another popular name - "blood oranges".

Tarocco

They have another characteristic feature. Their fruits are much smaller in size than the usual, standard oranges. In this component, beetles, rather, approach the large varieties of tangerines.

General description of the group

We have already mentioned two common names for these plants. But they also have a third name - "Sicilian oranges". The fact is that they arose, as commercial varieties, precisely on the island of Sicily. Experts believe that the first of them appeared as a result of a random mutation. Their fruits contained an increased amount of a special pigment, anthocyanin. It is its presence that colors the pulp and rind of the fruit in an intense red color.

Local citrus growers liked the unusual type of fruit, besides, their taste was very pleasant. Therefore, experts began to work to enhance the “anthocyanin content”, to consolidate it in future generations of citrus fruits. Thus, several varieties appeared, which are now called "bloody". In turn, each of them gave a whole galaxy of clones and new variations, which, although they are not independent varieties, are significantly different from their progenitors.

The main varieties of Sicilian oranges

1) Sanguinello (Sanguinello). The oldest of all, and is in some way an "impostor". We said that the beetles originated in Sicily, but precisely as a commercial plant. Sanguinello himself came to the island from Spain. Probably, he was known here for a very long time, since the time of Arab rule.

Sanguinello

2) Tarocco (Tarocco). But this is already, indeed, a real Sicilian! It was created on the basis of Sanguinello, and differs primarily in that its pulp is not as red as that of other fruits of this group. It is noteworthy that Tarocco grows mainly on the slopes of Mount Etna and in the surrounding regions. On other soils and in other conditions, it almost loses its color, becoming an ordinary small orange.

3) Moreau (Moro). The youngest variety of Sicilian red citrus. Bred in the vicinity of Syracuse in the first half of the 19th century. Its flesh is not just red, but dark crimson, sometimes to black. For this reason, at one time the legend even spread that Moro is a hybrid of orange and pomegranate, although, of course, this option is impossible due to the great biological remoteness of these plant species.

4) It is interesting that the USSR had its own "king", which was called pear-shaped... The plant was found in Adjara in the 30s of the last century. Its fruits, unlike the classical representatives of this group, have a slightly pear-shaped shape, and the color of the peel, although not red, is intensely orange. The pulp is also not so “bloody” at first, but after full ripening and a certain period of maturation it acquires a dark cherry color. Most likely, according to experts, the clone originated from Sanguinello, but it is not known when and how this happened. Its promise is that trees can be grown in the Russian subtropics. It is not known if any breeding work is currently underway on this variety.

General description of fruits

Thus, different varieties belong to korolki, differing both in their crown and in biological characteristics.They are related only by the place of origin and characteristics of the fruits, which have the following distinctive properties:

Moreau

- The size is small, the weight is mainly from 100 to 160 grams.

- The color of the peel is unusually bright, often reddish, intensely orange, crimson. Importantly, the redness intensifies when the fruit ripens under cool nights and warm days. If the daily temperature fluctuations are small, pigmentation may be almost invisible.

- The pulp is also red, raspberry, pomegranate. Its taste is pleasant, sweet, there is a lot of juice in the pulp. There is something raspberry, grape in the flavoring bouquet - something that other oranges do not have. They are famous for their high vitamin C content.

- The peel does not come off very easily, especially in the Moro variety. A slight ribbing is often visible on it.

Some other features

In general, the crown of these trees is low, but spreading. At home, trees gain no more than a meter in height, usually even less. The flowers are small, but very fragrant; the fruits ripen on the tree for a long time. In order for the beetle in the room to show all its features, it is necessary to provide it with such an alternation of daily temperatures, which we reported above.