The orange (specifically, the sweet orange) is the fruit of the

citrus species Citrus sinensis in the family Rutaceae.[2] The

fruit of the Citrus sinensis is called sweet orange to distinguish
it from that of the Citrus aurantium, the itter orange. The
orange is a hyrid, possily etween pomelo (Citrus ma!ima)
and mandarin (Citrus reticulata), culti"ated since ancient
times.
#roaly originating in $outheast %sia, oranges were already
culti"ated in China as far ac& as 2'(( )C. %rao*phone
peoples populari+ed sour citrus and oranges in
,urope-$paniards introduced the sweet orange to the
%merican continent in the mid*.'((s.
/range trees are widely grown in tropical and sutropical
climates for their sweet fruit, which can e eaten fresh or
processed to otain 0uice, and for the fragrant peel. They ha"e
een the most culti"ated tree fruit in the world since .123,and
sweet oranges account for appro!imately 3(4 of the citrus
production. 5n 2(.(, 62.7 million tonnes of oranges were grown
worldwide, particularly in )ra+il and in the 8$ states of
California and 9lorida.