Tachibana orange facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tachibana orange |
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C. tachibana
or C. reticulata |
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| Citrus tachibana (Makino) Tanaka
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| Citrus reticulata tachibana (Makino) Wu
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The tachibana orange (Citrus tachibana) is a special type of mandarin orange. It is a citrus fruit, like lemons or oranges. These oranges grow wild in the forests of Japan. They are also found in the Ryūkyū Islands. People have written about them in old Japanese poems.
Scientists have different ways to classify plants. The Tanaka System sees the tachibana orange as its own unique species. However, the Swingle System groups it with other mandarin oranges.
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The Story of the Tachibana Orange
Scientists have studied the genes of tachibana oranges. They found that these oranges are natural mixes of two different types of mandarins. One parent is a pure Ryukyu Island mandarin. The other parent is a mainland Asian mandarin.
The mainland Asian mandarin itself was a mix of northern and southern types. It also had some genes from the Ryukyu mandarin.
How They Are Different
Tachibana oranges do not have genes from the pomelo fruit. Many other mandarin oranges from mainland Asia do have these genes. This makes tachibana oranges special.
They also reproduce in a unique way. They can make seeds without needing two parents. Their Ryukyu mandarin parent, however, reproduces normally.
Where Did They Come From?
The Ryukyu Island mandarin is very old. Scientists think it separated from mainland mandarins over 2 million years ago. It likely grew near the Nanling Mountains in China. This is where its mandarin cousins were later grown by people.
The Ryukyu mandarin probably spread to the islands when land bridges formed. This happened during the Ice Ages, when sea levels were lower.
How They Became Tachibana Oranges
Later, sea levels rose again. This made the islands separate from the mainland. This separation helped new species form.
Then, between 40,000 and 200,000 years ago, the sea level might have dropped again. Or, seeds might have floated across the ocean. This reconnected the island and mainland mandarins. This is how the natural mixing happened, creating the tachibana oranges we know today.
What About the Fruit?
The fruit of the tachibana orange is very bitter. Because of this, it is almost impossible to eat.
