Sweet orange is an evergreen tree in the Rutaceae family that grows up to 30 feet tall in tropical, sub-tropical climates and its fruit is what you find in grocery stores. It is a hybrid resulting from a cross between a mandarin orange and a pomelo although when this was done is not fully known. However, its name means "from China" and likely refers to where it was originally grown and used. It has glossy green leaves and attractive orange edible fruits. It is not cold hardy so in cooler zones it can be grown in a container that can be overwintered indoors. Its flower is the state flower of Florida. The sweet orange requires direct sunlight. It is frost tender and does best when planted in a place where it can receive early morning sunlight during the growing season, so new, tender branches don't freeze. It prefers a pH of 5 - 6 but will tolerate a neutral or alkaline range as well. It is drought tolerant but flourishes when kept moist. Do not overwater. Pruning sweet orange trees is different than other deciduous fruit trees. Flowering and fruiting on sweet orange trees occurs on new wood and you don't want to cut flowers that are your future fruits. It is recommended that all pruning occur after the fruit has ripened. Plant outside for year-round enjoyment in the proper hardiness zone or put in a planter for movement inside when the weather turns cold. Sweet orange dislikes root disturbance so it should be placed in its permanent location outside when young. If growing them in pots, great care must be taken when moving them to larger containers. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: This plant can cause contact dermatitis in some people. There are many insects which could affect sweet orange. They include citrus rust mite, citrus snow scale, purple scale, Florida red scale, mealybugs, whiteflies, aphids, and fruit flies. Diseases include greasy spot, stem-end rot, sweet orange scab, citrus canker, and citrus greening disease. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common citrus insect and related pests.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheCitrus x aurantiumCitrus x limonCitrus x paradisi
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Edible; Houseplant; Perennial; Tree
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12-24 feet
Mature size
Height: 8 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in. | Width: 8 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Crenulate; Entire
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf value
Fragrant
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The glossy, aromatic leaves are ovate in shape and can reach up to 4" long.
Flower color
White
Flower value
Edible; Fragrant
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Clusters of up to six fragrant, creamy white flowers bloom on the ends of the branches.
Bloom time
Spring; Winter
Fruit color
Green; Orange
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit value
Edible; Fragrant
Fruit size
> 3 inches long, > 3 inches wide
Fruit detail
The fruits are round to slightly oval in shape and can vary in size from 2-5" in diameter. The color of the fragrant, exterior rind is orange when ripe, as is the pulp. The fruit and juice are sweet.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
New year's growth is green in color. Contain thorns.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Distribution
All tropical, sub-tropical regions around the world
Attracts
Bees
Play value
Attractive Flowers; Edible fruit; Fragrance
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit
Harvest time
Spring; Winter
Fruit type
Berry
Edibility
Fruits are edible
Uses (ethnobotany)
The juice is used in jellies, to make ice cream, sherbet or sorbet, and its fragrance is found in perfumes and cleaning products. The rind of the fruit is often used as a flavoring in cakes and icing or made into marmalade. Flowers can be cooked as a vegetable or made into a tea. The oil in the seed can be used in soap making. The fruit is rich in Vitamin C which aids the body and recent studies have attributed the fruit with lowering cholesterol and aiding in the digestion of fat. The fruit contains bergapten, which is used in tanning lotions as it promotes pigmentation in the skin.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Houseplants; Lawn
Landscape theme
Asian Garden; Edible Garden
Design feature
Flowering Tree; Small Tree
Garden tags
#problem for horses #problem for dogs #problem for cats #contact dermatitis #wet soils intolerant #container plant #full sun #shade intolerant #edible #evergreen #showy #showy flowers #fragrant fruits #medicinal #evergreen tree #fragrant leaves #white flowers #tropical feel #acidic soils tolerant #fragrant flowers #houseplant #frost tender #orange fruits #hortcontest
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Contact Dermatitis; Poisonous to Humans; Problem for Cats; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses
Resistant to
Heavy Shade; Wet Soil
Propagation
Grafting; Leaf Cutting; Seed
Poison severity
Low
Poison symptoms
Vomiting, diarrhea, depression; potential dermatitis. The fruit is edible, skins and plant material can cause problems.
Toxic principle
Essential oils and psoralens, geraniol, citral and d-limonene