Mandarin

Generally, the trees of these varieties are vigorous, bushy in shape and have willowy branches. Fruits are flattened in shape, with a deep orange-colored, slightly pebbly and fairly thin rind. Afourer and Nadorcott are easy to peel and seedless when grown isolated from pollinators. In general, these varieties have good juice level, pleasant, soft and sweet flavor and a well-balanced acidity.

The tree is medium to large in size, vigorous and thornless. The top of the tree is spherical, and usually blossoms from March to April. This mandarin variety is small or medium in size, and is seedless under any pollination condition. It is easy to peel, with a fine orange-reddish rind. The flesh is also very fine, with a delicious flavor. Depending on climate and location, it matures in January and the fruit may be maintained in the tree until April. This product has excellent storage characteristics. 

It is a hybrid from Ellendale and Robin varieties, made by hand- pollination in 1980. In isolated blocks, fruits are seedless; if they are produced by cross-pollination, the fruit may have 1-3 seeds. The rind is of an orange-deep red color, with a skin very resistant to spots. The flesh is dark orange. It has excellent flavor and is easy to peel. Valley Gold mandarins mature around January, after the Clemenule season. They keep their acidity over certain time, which makes them highly suitable for post-conservation, thus extending their shelf life. This variety is very consistent in fruit size in the tree, which is very vigorous, upright and thornless.

Orri trees are extremely vigorous, with a growth habit similar to Mor. The fruit is of a considerable size, flattish, though rounder than Nadorcott; there is no ribbing at the stem-end of the fruit. Of a deep orange color, this variety is easy to peel and its flavor has a large amount of sugar. It has low acidity levels, which rapidly reduce within four to six weeks after harvest. Although this variety may have a small number of seeds (a maximum of 2 per fruit), it is considered to belong to the seedless family of mandarins. 

Mor mandarins are similar to Murcott and, although they are productive, they may be prone to alternate bearing if not properly managed. The fruit has a good size, late-maturity and is attractive. The tree has an upright, vigorous growth habit, produces long unproductive shoots in the early years, with fruits in the lower part. The fruit is medium to large, with some smaller fruits. Fruit shape is flattish to round, with a smooth rind and slight ribbing at the stem. It is of high quality, with very high sugars and sufficient acid for a well-balanced flavor. In cold production areas, maturity is reached from mid to late August.

Although there are many varieties, generally these mandarins are very productive and have small to medium size fruits. They are seedless, have a very good color and are juicy and have good flavor and edibility.

In the Mediterranean region, particularly in Morocco and Spain, Clementine has become the most popular and highest production growth mandarin variety over the past four decades. The only true seedless Clementines have been developed in Spain and, according to complete and diligent observations, many new interesting mutations have recently been discovered. California Clementines are in the market from mid-November to late January, thus they are known as "Christmas oranges" in certain zones.

Varieties: Oro Nule, ClemenNule y Clementine Fine, Clemen Luz.

The tree is vigorous, spreading and large in size. The fruit is of medium size, and slightly flattened at the stylar-end, where a small navel is often formed. The shape, peel texture and thickness, as well as external color and internal quality, are mostly affected by its production area. In addition to being well maintained in the tree, Ortanique mandarins may be successfully stored for a considerable period without the juice developing off-flavors. The rind is leathery and initially more difficult to remove, and a great deal of rind oil is released in the process. However, despite having somewhat tough segment walls, the pulp is tender and extremely juicy, often exceeding 60 per cent by weight of the whole fruit. The juice is of outstanding color; flavor is extremely sweet but well balanced with acidity and has a strong, rich aroma. It does not develop delayed bitterness.

The trees are vigorous, well developed and thorny. The fruit is medium to large, and the rind color is a very attractive reddish-orange. Peeling is initially more difficult due to the firmness of the fruit, the thin rind and its tight adhesion, but virtually all the albedo is removed with the rind, leaving the segments as clean as the best Clementine. Internal quality is extremely high. The color is deep orange, and the segments are very juicy and tender with a fine sweet flavor. Acid levels are moderate, resulting in a high sugar to acid ratio. Due to its self-incompatibility, the fruit is seedless when planted in isolation. Satsuma mandarins are well suited for processing to extract juice and, being seedless, the segments are especially appropriate for canning in syrup or natural juice.