A mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata), also known as mandarin or mandarine, is a small, rounded citrus tree fruit. Treated as a distinct species of orange,[1] it is usually eaten plain or in fruit salads.[1] Tangerines are a group of orange-colored citrus fruit consisting of hybrids of mandarin orange with some pomelo contribution. 


The mandarin orange is smaller and oblate,[1] unlike the spherical common orange (which is a mandarin-pomelo hybrid).[2] The taste is considered sweeter and stronger than the common orange.[3] A ripe mandarin orange is firm to slightly soft, heavy for its size, and pebbly-skinned. The peel is thin and loose,[1] with little white mesocarp,[4] so they are usually easier to peel and to split into segments.[1] Hybrids usually have these traits to a lesser degree. The mandarin orange is tender and is damaged easily by cold. It can be grown in tropical and subtropical areas.[1][3]
According to genetic studies, the mandarin orange was one of the original citrus species; through breeding or natural hybridization, it is the ancestor of many hybrid citrus cultivars. With the citron and pomelo, it is the ancestor of the most commercially important hybrids (such as sweet and sour oranges, grapefruit, and many lemons and limes). The mandarin orange has also been hybridized with other citrus species, such as desert lime and the kumquat.[2] Though the ancestral mandarin orange was bitter, most commercial mandarin strains derive from hybridization with pomelo, which gives them sweet fruit.[5]