Bitter orange

Citrus aurantium
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Rutaceae
Genus:	Citrus
Species:	C. × aurantium
Binomial name
Citrus × aurantium L., 1753
Synonyms
Aurantium × acre Mill. Aurantium × bigarella Poit. & Turpin Aurantium × corniculatum Mill. Aurantium × corniculatum Poit. & Turpin Aurantium × coronatum Poit. & Turpin Aurantium × distortum Mill. Aurantium × humile Mill. Aurantium × myrtifolium Descourt. Aurantium × orientale Mill. Aurantium × silvestre Pritz. Aurantium × sinense (L.) Mill. Aurantium × variegatum Barb.Rodr. Aurantium × vulgare (Risso) M. Gómez Citrus bigaradia Risso & Poit. Citrus humilis (Mill.) Poir. Citrus × amara Link Citrus × aurata Risso Citrus × benikoji Yu.Tanaka Citrus × bigaradia Loisel. Citrus × calot Lag. Citrus × canaliculata Yu.Tanaka Citrus × changshan-huyou Y.B.Chang Citrus × communis Poit. & Turpin Citrus × dulcimedulla Pritz. Citrus × dulcis Pers. Citrus × florida Salisb. Citrus × funadoko Yu.Tanaka Citrus × fusca Lour. Citrus × glaberrima Yu.Tanaka Citrus × humilis (Mill.) Poir. Citrus × intermedia Yu.Tanaka Citrus × iwaikan Yu.Tanaka Citrus × iyo Yu.Tanaka nom. inval. Citrus × karna Raf. Citrus × keraji Yu.Tanaka nom. inval. Citrus × kotokan Hayata Citrus × medioglobosa Yu.Tanaka Citrus × mitsuharu Yu.Tanaka Citrus × myrtifolia (Ker Gawl.) Raf. Citrus × natsudaidai (Yu.Tanaka) Hayata Citrus × omikanto Yu.Tanaka Citrus × pseudogulgul Shirai Citrus × reshni (Engl.) Yu.Tanaka Citrus × rokugatsu Yu.Tanaka Citrus × rumphii Risso Citrus × sinograndis Yu.Tanaka nom. inval. Citrus × subcompressa (Tanaka) Yu.Tanaka Citrus × sulcata Yu.Tanaka nom. inval. Citrus × taiwanica Yu.Tanaka & Shimada Citrus × tangelo J.W.Ingram & H.E.Moore Citrus × tengu Yu.Tanaka nom. inval. Citrus × tosa-asahi Yu.Tanaka Citrus × truncata Yu.Tanaka Citrus × vulgaris Risso Citrus × yatsushiro Yu.Tanaka Citrus × yuge-hyokan Yu.Tanaka

Bitter orange, Seville orange, sour orange, bigarade orange, or marmalade orange refers to a citrus tree (Citrus × aurantium) and its fruit. It is native to southeast Asia, and has been spread by humans to many parts of the world. Wild trees are found near small streams in generally secluded and wooded parts of Florida and The Bahamas after it was introduced to the area from Spain.

It is a hybrid between Citrus maxima (pomelo) and Citrus reticulata (mandarin). Many varieties of bitter orange are used for their essential oil, and are found in perfume, used as a flavoring or as a solvent. The Seville orange variety is used in the production of marmalade.

Bitter orange is also employed in herbal medicine as a stimulant and appetite suppressant, due to its active ingredient, synephrine. Bitter orange supplements have been linked to a number of serious side effects and deaths, and consumer groups advocate that people avoid using the fruit medically.

This orange is used as a in groves of sweet orange. The fruit and leaves make lather and can be used as soap. The hard white or light yellow wood is used in woodworking and made into baseball bats in Cuba. Seville orange (or bigarade) is a widely known, particularly tart orange which is now grown throughout the Mediterranean region. It has a thick, dimpled skin, and is prized for making marmalade, being higher in pectin than the sweet orange, and therefore giving a better set and a higher yield. It is also used in compotes and for orange-flavored liqueurs. Once a year, oranges of this variety are collected from trees in Seville and shipped to Britain to be used in marmalade. However, the fruit is rarely consumed locally in Andalusia.

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Wikipedia