Navel oranges

Navel oranges are characterized by the growth of a second fruit at the apex, which
protrudes slightly and resembles a human navel. They are primarily grown for human
consumption for various reasons: their thicker skin makes them easy to peel, they
are less juicy and their bitterness – a result of the high concentrations of
limonin and other limonoids – renders them less suitable for juice.[19] Their
widespread distribution and long growing season have made navel oranges very
popular. In the United States, they are available from November to April, with peak
supplies in January, February, and March.[51]

According to a 1917 study by Palemon Dorsett, Archibald Dixon Shamel and Wilson
Popenoe of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), a single mutation in
a Selecta orange tree planted on the grounds of a monastery near Bahia, Brazil,
probably yielded the first navel orange between 1810 and 1820.[52] Nevertheless, a
researcher at the University of California, Riverside, has suggested that the
parent variety was more likely the Portuguese navel orange (Umbigo), described by
Antoine Risso and Pierre Antoine Poiteau in their book Histoire naturelle des
orangers ("Natural History of Orange Trees", 1818–1822).[52] The mutation caused
the orange to develop a second fruit at its base, opposite the stem, embedded
within the peel of the primary orange.[53] Navel oranges were introduced in
Australia in 1824 and in Florida in 1835. In 1870, twelve cuttings of the original
tree were transplanted to Riverside, California, where the fruit became known as
"Washington".[54] This cultivar was very successful, and rapidly spread to other
countries.[52] Because the mutation left the fruit seedless and, therefore,
sterile, the only method to cultivate navel oranges was to graft cuttings onto
other varieties of citrus trees. The California Citrus State Historic Park and the
Orcutt Ranch Horticulture Center preserve the history of navel oranges in
Riverside.

Today, navel oranges continue to be propagated through cutting and grafting. This
does not allow for the usual selective breeding methodologies, and so all navel
oranges can be considered fruits from that single, nearly two-hundred-year-old
tree: they have exactly the same genetic make-up as the original tree and are,
therefore, clones. This case is similar to that of the common yellow seedless
banana, the Cavendish, or that of the Granny Smith apple. On rare occasions,
however, further mutations can lead to new varieties.[52]
Cara cara navels
Slices of common and cara cara oranges on a plate
Cara cara orange slices (left)

Cara cara oranges (also called "red navel") are a type of navel orange grown mainly
in Venezuela, South Africa and in California's San Joaquin Valley. They are sweet
and comparatively low in acid,[55] with a bright orange rind similar to that of
other navels, but their flesh is distinctively pinkish red. It is believed that
they have originated as a cross between the Washington navel and the Brazilian
Bahia navel,[56] and they were discovered at the Hacienda Cara Cara in Valencia,
Venezuela, in 1976.[57]

South African cara caras are ready for market in early August, while Venezuelan
fruits arrive in October and Californian fruits in late November.[55][56]
Other varieties of navels

Bahianinha or Bahia
Dream Navel
Late Navel
Washington or California Navel