tangelo

1 hybrid between grapefruit and mandarin orange; cultivated especially in Florida [syn: tangelo tree, ugli fruit, Citrus tangelo]

2 large sweet juicy hybrid between tangerine and grapefruit having a thick wrinkled skin [syn: ugli, ugli fruit]

English

Etymology

Noun

1. A citrus fruit that is a cross between a tangerine and a pomelo or a grapefruit.

Derived terms

• minneola tangelo

See also

• orangelo

The tangelo is a citrus fruit that is a hybrid of a tangerine and either a pomelo or a grapefruit. It may have originated in Southeast Asia over 3,500 years ago. The fruits look like good-sized oranges and have a tangerine taste, but are very juicy, to the point of not providing much flesh but producing excellent and plentiful juice. Tangelos generally have loose skin and are easier to peel than oranges.

Varieties

Minneola tangelo

The Minneola tangelo is a citrus fruit hybrid of 'Duncan' grapefruit and 'Dancy' tangerine. It was released in 1931 by the United States Department of Agriculture Horticultural Research Station in Orlando. The fruit is extremely juicy and sweet with a slight tartness. Its rind and flesh are both a bright orange in color, a deeper shade than that of an orange. It has a thicker than average white skin beneath the peel and above the fruit. The Minneola tangelo has a very short (4 week) harvest during January and February.

Orlando tangelo

This early maturing tangelo is noted for its juicy, mild, sweet flavor. Orlandos are flat-round in shape and larger in size. California/Arizona Orlandos have a slightly pebbled texture, good interior and exterior color, very few seeds and a tight fitting rind. Orlando tangelos are available from mid-November to the beginning of February. The Orlando tangelo originated as a cross between a Duncan grapefruit and a Dancy tangerine. W. T. Swingle of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is credited with creating the hybrid in 1911. When the Orlando tangelo was first cultivated, it was known by the name Lake Tangelo. The trees of this variety grow to a large size and are easily recognized by their cup-shaped leaves. Orlando tangelos are recognized as being one of the more cold-tolerant varieties. However, because the Orlando tangelo is incompatible with pollination, it is suggested that they be planted with other varieties of oranges to encourage pollination.

Drug interactions

Studies by the USDA have so far shown that unlike grapefruit, interactions with statins are not likely with tangelos, even though it is derived from a grapefruit crossed with a tangerine. This is apparently because the furocoumarins in grapefruit are not expressed in tangelos.

References

• Description of tangelo from Fruits of Warm Climates, (1987, ISBN 0-9610184-1-0)
• Jackson, Larry K. and Futch, Stephen H., Fact Sheet HS-171 Retrieved March 28, 2005.
• Krezdorn, A.H. 1981. "Fruit Set of Citrus." Proc. Int. Soc. Citriculture. 1981:249-253.
• Krezdorn, A.H. 1977. "Influence of Rootstock on Mandarin Cultivars." Proc. Int. Soc. Citriculture. Vol. 2. p. 513-518.
• Krezdorn, A.H. and W.J. Wiltbank. 1968. "Annual Girdling of 'Orlando' Tangelos over an Eight-Year Period." Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. Vol. 81:29-35.
• Saunt, James. 2000. Citrus Varieties of the World. Sinclair International Limited, Norwich, England. p. 82.
• Tucker, D.P.H., S.H. Futch, F.G. Gmitter, and M.C. Kesinger. Florida Citrus Varieties. 1998. SP-102. University of Florida. p. 31.
• Tucker, D.P.H., A.K. Alva, L.K. Jackson, and T.A. Wheaton. 1995. Nutrition of Florida Citrus Trees. SP-169. University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service. p. 27.
• Whiteside, J. O. 1979. "Alternaria Brown Spot of Dancy Tangerine and its Control." Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 92:34-37.

• The tangelo is referenced in a David Dondero song entitled "Less Than The Air" in which Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes sings background. After Dondero sings the line about the tangelo, Oberst shouts "What's a tangelo?" which Dondero later explains at the end of the song.

See also

• Orangelo
• Ugli fruit

External links

• Description of tangelo