Tangerine Blossom

Citrus reticulata is a moderate-sized tree some 7.6 meters (25 ft) in height. Its flowers are borne singly or in small groups in the leaf-axils. The species belongs to the family Rutaceae. Under the Tanaka classification system, Citrus tangerina is considered a separate species. Under the Swingle system, tangerines are considered a group of mandarin varieties. The name tangerine was first used for fruit shipped from Tangier, a Moroccan seaport, and described as a mandarin variety.

Volatiles from the flowers of nine citrus cultivars were analysed at three blooming stages, and up to 110 volatiles were detected. The volatiles were sampled by headspace solid-phase microextraction and read by GC-MS. Volatile amounts were highest in fully opened flowers of most cultivars, though not in pomelos. Every cultivar had a high share of either oxygenated monoterpenes or monoterpene hydrocarbons, and a high share of nitrogen-containing compounds was also seen. Averaged over all nine cultivars, linalool and limonene were the top two volatiles at every blooming stage. Indole ranked third in half opened and fully opened flowers. As the flowers bloomed, methyl anthranilate increased while 2-hexenal and p-cymene decreased. In half opened and fully opened flowers, methyl anthranilate was abundant in Satsuma but over 20 times lower in Ponkan. Unopened Ponkan flowers had more linalool and β-pinene, and much less γ-terpinene and p-cymene, than Satsuma flowers. Flower volatiles can be suitable markers for revealing the genetic relationships between citrus cultivars, but the same blooming stage needs to be strictly controlled.

The wild mandarin is one of the pure ancestral citrus taxa and evolved in a restricted region of South China and Vietnam. The term tangerine is also applied to any reddish-orange mandarin. The Dancy tangerine descends from a Ponkan mandarin and a second, unidentified mandarin.

Methyl anthranilate has the formula C₈H₉NO₂ and is an ester of anthranilic acid. It is also known as methyl 2-aminobenzoate.

Mandarins appear to have been domesticated at least twice, in the north and south Nanling Mountains, from separate wild subspecies.

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Related: Apricot Blossom · Banksia Australian · Heather · Meadowsweet · Orange Blossom · Orchid Pink Leopard · Safflower · Tobacco Blossom