The orange is the fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae (see list of plants known as
orange); it primarily refers to Citrus × sinensis,[1] which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish
it from the related Citrus × aurantium, referred to as bitter orange. The sweet orange reproduces
asexually (apomixis through nucellar embryony); varieties of sweet orange arise through
mutations.[2][3][4][5]
The orange is a hybrid between pomelo (Citrus maxima) and mandarin (Citrus reticulata).[2][6] The
chloroplast genome, and therefore the maternal line, is that of pomelo.[7] The sweet orange has had its
full genome sequenced.[2]
