View source for Tangelo

{{short description|Citrus fruit hybrid}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Speciesbox
|name = Tangelo
|image = Minneola fruit 3.jpg
|image_caption = A tangelo fruit (Cushman Honeybells)
|genus = Citrus
|species = × tangelo
|authority = [[John William Ingram|J.W. Ingram]] & [[Harold E. Moore|H.E. Moore]], 1975
}}{{Additional citations|date=June 2025}}
The '''tangelo''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|æ|n|dʒ|ə|l|oʊ}} {{respell|TAN|jə|loh}}, {{IPAc-en|t|æ|n|'|dʒ|ɛ|l|oʊ}} {{respell|tan|JEL|oh}}; ''C. reticulata × C. maxima'' or ''× C. paradisi''), ''Citrus × tangelo'', is a [[citrus]] [[fruit]] [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrid]] of a ''Citrus reticulata'' variety, such as [[mandarin orange]] or [[tangerine]], and a ''Citrus maxima'' variety, such as a [[pomelo]] or [[grapefruit]].  The name is a [[portmanteau]] of 'tangerine' and 'pomelo'.

Tangelos are the size of an adult fist, have a tart and tangy taste, and are juicy (with less flesh inside). They generally have loose skin and are easier to peel than oranges,<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Meadow |first1=Jean |last2=King |first2=Mary |title=Florida Food Fare – Tangelo |url=http://sarasota.ifas.ufl.edu/FCS/FlaFoodFare/Tangelo.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820202546/http://sarasota.ifas.ufl.edu/FCS/FlaFoodFare/Tangelo.pdf |archive-date=August 20, 2017 |access-date=February 2, 2018 |publisher=[[Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences]], University of Florida}}</ref> readily distinguished from them by a characteristic bump at the stem. Tangelos can be used as a substitute for [[Mandarin orange|mandarin oranges]] or [[sweet orange]]s.

== Varieties ==
===Orlando===
The early maturing [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]] tangelo is noted for its rich juiciness, mild and sweet flavor, large size, distinct zesty smell, and flat-round shape without a characteristic knob.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Orlando tangelo {{!}} Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection at UCR |url=https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/crc3874 |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=citrusvariety.ucr.edu |language=en}}</ref> Orlando tangelos are available from mid-November to the beginning of February. The tangelo originated as a cross between a Duncan grapefruit and a [[Dancy (citrus)|Dancy]] tangerine.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Jackson |first1=Larry K. |last2=Futch |first2=Stephen H. |title=Orlando Tangelo |url=http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ch077 |access-date=February 4, 2014 |publisher=[[Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences]], University of Florida |archive-date=October 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022124703/https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ch077 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Futch |first1=Stephen H. |last2=Jackson |first2=L. K. |date=2018-04-04 |title=Orlando Tangelo: HS175/CH077, 4/2018 |journal=EDIS |language=en |volume=2018 |issue=4 |doi=10.32473/edis-ch077-1993 |issn=2576-0009|doi-access=free }}</ref> [[Walter Tennyson 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 one of the more cold-tolerant varieties.

=== Minneola ===
The Minneola tangelo (also known as the Honeybell) is a cross between a Duncan grapefruit and a [[Dancy (citrus)|Dancy]] tangerine and was released in 1931 by the USDA Horticultural Research Station in Orlando. It is named after [[Minneola, Florida]]. Most Minneola tangelos are characterized by a stem-end neck, which tends to make the fruit appear bell-shaped. Because of this, it is also called the Honeybell in the gift fruit trade, one of the most popular varieties. Honeybell is sometimes used as unofficial shorthand for premium cultivation. Minneolas are usually fairly large, typically {{convert|3–3+1/2|in}} in diameter. The peel color, when mature, is a bright-reddish-orange color, and the rind of the Minneola is relatively thin. Minneolas peel rather easily and are very juicy. The Minneola is not strongly self-fruitful, and yields will be greater when interplanted with suitable pollenizers such as Temple tangor, Sunburst tangerine, or possibly Fallglo tangerine. It tends to bear a good crop every other year.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Jackson |first1=Larry K. |last2=Futch |first2=Stephen H. |title=Minneola Tangelo |url=http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ch072 |access-date=June 21, 2013 |publisher=Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida}}</ref>

===Jamaican tangelo===
{{main|Jamaican tangelo}}
The Jamaican tangelo, marketed under proprietary names 'ugli fruit' and 'uniq fruit,' is a spontaneous hybrid discovered about 1920 on the island of [[Jamaica]], with a rough, wrinkled, greenish-yellow rind. Its exact parentage has not been determined, but it is thought to be a tangerine/grapefruit hybrid.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/crc2780|title=Ugli tangelo (CRC 2780) &#124; Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection at UCR}}</ref>

===K-Early (Sunrise)===
A hybrid propagated by [[Walter Tennyson Swingle]] and [[Herbert John Webber]], the K-Early is an early-ripening cultivar that gained a bad reputation at first but has been increasing in popularity in recent years.<ref name="purduemorton" /> It is sometimes called 'Sunrise,' a name also used for a different and older cultivar.<ref>{{Cite web |title=sunrise |url=https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/sunrise.html |access-date=12 February 2021 |website=citrusvariety.ucr.edu}}</ref>

===Mapo===
The Mapo (a portmanteau between 'Mandarino' and the [[Italian language|Italian]] word for grapefruit, 'Pompelmo') is a hybrid developed in 1950 in [[Italy]] by the [[Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies (Italy)|Italian Ministry of Agriculture]] Citrus Research Station of [[Acireale]].<ref>Integrated Pest Control in Citrus Groves di R. Cavalloro, CRC Press, 01 giu 1986</ref> In Italy, the Mapo matures at the end of summer, about two months earlier than most citruses. Its peel is green, smooth, and thin; yellow markings appear when fully ripened. Its pulp is yellow, with orange nuances also when fully ripened. It is a cross between the 'Avana' mandarin and the Duncan grapefruit.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Mapo" in Enciclopedia Treccani |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/mapo/ |access-date=26 October 2022 |website=treccani.it}}</ref>

===Seminole===
The seminole is a hybrid between a [[Bowen grapefruit|'Bowen' grapefruit]] and a [[Dancy tangerine|'Dancy' tangerine]]. It is deep red-orange in color, oblate in shape with a thin and firm peel, and is not necked. It has 11-13 juicy segments and a pleasant, subacid flavor. It has 20-25 small seeds. The tree is high-yielding and scab-resistant.<ref name="purduemorton">{{Cite web |title=Tangelo |url=https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/tangelo.html |access-date=4 February 2021 |website=www.hort.purdue.edu}}</ref>

===Thornton===
A tangerine-grapefruit hybrid developed by [[Walter Tennyson Swingle]] in 1899, the Thornton is oblate to obovate, slightly rough, and medium to large in size. The peel is light orange and is of medium thickness; the pulp inside is pale to deep orange. It has 10-12 juicy segments and a rich subacid to sweet flavor. There are 10-25 slender seeds inside. It ripens from December to March. The tree is high-yielding and is well-adapted to hot and dry regions, although the fruit ships poorly.<ref name="purduemorton" />

===Novel varieties===
In 2011, a troop of [[baboon]]s was attracted to the higher sweetness of a new likely mutation in a Minneola planting in [[Cape Town]], South Africa, prompting its propagation.<ref>[https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2011-01-12-baboons-discover-new-citrus-fruit-in-wcape/ Baboons discover new citrus fruit in W. Cape] (January 12, 2011)</ref>

== Drug interactions ==
One study thus far has shown that, unlike grapefruit, interactions with [[statin]]s are not likely with tangelos. Although the tangelo is derived from a grapefruit crossed with a mandarin, the [[furocoumarin]]s in grapefruit are not expressed in tangelos.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Widmer |first=Wilbur |date=May 4, 2005 |title=One tangerine/grapefruit hybrid (tangelos) contains trace amounts of furanocoumarins at a level too low to be associated with grapefruit/drug interactions |url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=175058 |journal=[[Journal of Food Science]] |volume=70 |issue=6 |pages=C419–C422 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2621.2005.tb11440.x|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last=Morton |first=Julia F. |url=https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/tangelo.html |title=Fruits of Warm Climates: Tangelo |date=1987 |publisher=J.F. Morton |isbn=9780961018412 |pages=158–160}}
* Jackson, Larry K. and Futch, Stephen H., [http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/CH072 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. pp.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;27.
* Whiteside, J. O. 1979. "Alternaria Brown Spot of Dancy Tangerine and its Control." Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 92:34–37.
{{Refend}}

{{Commons category|Citrus Tangelo group}}
{{Wikispecies|Citrus tangelo}}

{{citrus}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q148866}}

[[Category:Citrus hybrids]]
[[Category:Grapefruit]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1975]]
[[Category:Fruit trees]]
[[Category:Cuisine of California]]