Mandarin Orange
9Will it grow where I live?
Mandarin Orange is not winter-hardy in Central Europe (zone 9): outdoors from spring to autumn only, otherwise a container plant overwintered frost-free. It also needs warm summers – in Central Europe that means wine-growing regions, cities or a sheltered south-facing wall.
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Profile
- Family
- Rutaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Height
- 5 m
- Spread
- 4 m
- Growth
- medium
- Lifespan
- 50 years
- First yield
- after 3 years
- Hardiness
- zone 9–12
- Shade tolerance
- full sun
- Soil
- Sand, Silt, Loam
- Soil moisture
- semi-dry – very moist
- pH
- 5.5 – 7
- Synonyms
- Citrus deliciosa, Citrus nobilis, Citrus unshiu, Clementine, Tangerine
Varieties (20)
20 varieties of Mandarin Orange are listed in the Permaplans variety finder — each with its own page: taste, ripening time, disease resistance, parentage and use.
- Clementine Fina The classic small original clementine with intense aroma – parent of many cultivars.
- Clemenules The world's most-grown clementine – seedless, easy-peeling and honey-sweet.
- Dancy The classic American Christmas tangerine with deep-red rind and spicy aroma.
- Ellendale Australian premium tangor – large, very juicy and intensely aromatic.
- Fortune Late, deep-orange commercial mandarin of Spain – juicy and long-storing.
- Fremont Early-ripening, deeply coloured mandarin with intense aroma.
- Gold Nugget Seedless late mandarin with bumpy gold rind – stays sweet on the tree for months.
- Imperial Australia's earliest market mandarin – easy-peeling, mild-sweet, kid-friendly.
- Kinnow Juice-rich mass mandarin of South Asia – highly aromatic but seedy.
- Murcott Extremely sweet 'Honey' mandarin with very juicy flesh – late ripening.
- Nadorcott Late, deep-orange premium mandarin – seedless when isolated, very sweet and easy-peeling.
- Nova Large, glossy mid-season mandarin – sweet, juicy, seedless when isolated.
- Okitsu Very early, cold-hardy satsuma – seedless and ready before the clementines.
- Oroval Early Spanish clementine with large, intensely coloured fruit.
- Ortanique Aromatic tangor with orange character – very juicy, late and long-hanging.
- Owari Cold-hardy, seedless satsuma – the easiest-peeling mandarin for cool climates.
- Pixie Very late, seedless connoisseur mandarin with puffy rind and mild sweetness.
- Ponkan Large, very sweet Asian mandarin with a prominent navel and loose rind.
- Sunburst Bright red-orange Florida mandarin – very juicy and deeply coloured.
- Tango Seedless improvement of Nadorcott – sweet, easy-peeling and pollen-tolerant.
Uses
Growing
Mandarinen brauchen einen vollsonnigen, windgeschützten Standort und durchlässigen, leicht sauren Boden. Sie sind frostempfindlich und werden in Mitteleuropa im Kübel gehalten und frostfrei bei 5 bis 10 Grad überwintert. Regelmäßig, aber nicht zu viel gießen und im Sommer wöchentlich mit Zitrusdünger versorgen. Vermehrung meist über Veredlung auf robuste Zitrus-Unterlagen.
Frequently asked questions
Mandarin Orange: how big does it get?
Mandarin Orange (Citrus reticulata) grows as a Tree and reaches roughly 5 m in height when mature, with a spread of about 4 m. Growth is medium.
Mandarin Orange: what site does it need?
Mandarin Orange tolerates full sun. Suitable soils are Sand, Silt, Loam. Soil moisture should be in the range semi-dry – very moist. The pH may lie between 5.5 and 7.
Mandarin Orange: is it hardy?
Mandarin Orange is listed as hardy in zone 9–12 and survives normal winters outdoors there.
Mandarin Orange: will it grow in Central Europe?
Mandarin Orange is not winter-hardy in Central Europe (zone 9): outdoors from spring to autumn only, otherwise a container plant overwintered frost-free. It also needs warm summers – in Central Europe that means wine-growing regions, cities or a sheltered south-facing wall.
Mandarin Orange: is it poisonous?
Individual parts of Mandarin Orange are noted as mildly problematic — the plant does not count as poisonous. With wild plants, never rely on a database alone, only on a confident identification.
Mandarin Orange: what is it used for?
Rated on a scale up to 10: Edible 9/10.
Which Mandarin Orange varieties are there?
The Permaplans variety finder lists 20 varieties of Mandarin Orange, including Clementine Fina, Clemenules, Dancy, Ellendale, Fortune, Fremont, Gold Nugget, Imperial, Kinnow, Murcott, Nadorcott, Nova and 8 more. Each variety has its own page with taste, ripening time, disease resistance and parentage.
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