What is "mandarin orange"

mandarin orange \man`da*rin" or"ange\, n.

1. A shrub or small tree ( Citrus reticulata) having flattened globose fruit with very sweet aromatic pulp and thin yellow-orange to flame-orange rind that is loose and easily removed; native to Southeast Asia.

   Syn: mandarin orange tree.

2. Same as mandarin[7].

Mandarin \Man`da*rin"\, n. [Pg. mandarim, from Malay mantr[=i] minister of state, prop. a Hind. word, fr. Skr. mantrin a counselor, manira a counsel, man to think.]

1. A Chinese public officer or nobleman; a civil or military official in China and Annam.

2. Hence: A powerful government official or bureaucrat, especially one who is pedantic and has a strong sense of his own importance and privelege.

3. Hence: A member of an influential, powerful or elite group, espcially within artistic or intellectual circles; -- used especially of elder members who are traditionalist or conservative about their specialties.

   5. The form of the Chinese language spoken by members of the Chinese Imperial Court an officials of the empire.

   6. Any of several closely related dialects of the Chinese language spoken by a mojority of the population of China, the standard variety of which is spoken in the region around Beijing.

   7. (Bot.) A small flattish reddish-orange loose-skinned orange, with an easily separable rind. It is thought to be of Chinese origin, and is counted a distinct species ( Citrus reticulata formerly Citrus nobilis); called also mandarin orange and tangerine.

   Mandarin language, the spoken or colloquial language of educated people in China.

   Mandarin yellow (Chem.), an artificial aniline dyestuff used for coloring silk and wool, and regarded as a complex derivative of quinoline.

alt. 1 A small citrus tree (''Citrus reticulata'') with fruit resembling the orange. 2 The fruit of this tree, smaller than an orange and oblate. In daily usage, it may include other similar citrus fruits like ''Citrus unshiu'' (satsuma or mikan) (taxlink Citrus tangerina species noshow=1) (tangerine). n. 1 A small citrus tree (''Citrus reticulata'') with fruit resembling the orange. 2 The fruit of this tree, smaller than an orange and oblate. In daily usage, it may include other similar citrus fruits like ''Citrus unshiu'' (satsuma or mikan) (taxlink Citrus tangerina species noshow=1) (tangerine).

1. n. shrub or small tree having flattened globose fruit with very sweet aromatic pulp and thin yellow-orange to flame-orange rind that is loose and easily removed; native to southeastern Asia [syn: mandarin, mandarin orange tree, Citrus reticulata]

2. a somewhat flat reddish-orange loose-skinned citrus of China [syn: mandarin]

The mandarin orange (; kam¹ or gam¹), also known as the mandarine, is a small citrus tree with fruit resembling other oranges.

Mandarins are usually eaten plain or in fruit salads. Specifically reddish-orange mandarin cultivars can be marketed as tangerines, but this is not a botanical classification.

Mandarins are smaller and oblate, rather than spherical like the common oranges (which are a mandarin hybrid). The taste is considered less sour, as well as sweeter and stronger. A ripe mandarin is firm to slightly soft, heavy for its size, and pebbly-skinned. The peel is very thin, with very little bitter white mesocarp, so they are usually easier to peel and to split into segments. Hybrids generally have these traits to a lesser degree.

The tree is more drought-tolerant than the fruit. The mandarin is tender and is damaged easily by cold. It can be grown in tropical and subtropical areas.

According to molecular studies, the mandarin, the citron, the pomelo, and the papeda were the ancestors of most other commercial citrus varieties, through breeding or natural hybridization; mandarins are therefore all the more important as the only sweet fruit among the parental species.