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Tangor

Citrus fruit cross between mandarin and sweet orange

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Source updated August 19, 2026

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The tangor (C. reticulata × C. sinensis) is a citrus fruit hybrid of the mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata) and the sweet orange (Citrus sinensis). The name "tangor" is a formation from the "tang" of tangerine and the "or" of "orange." Also called the temple orange, its thick rind is easy to peel and its bright orange pulp is sour-sweet and full-flavoured. The name "temple orange" is taken from the name of citrus magnate William Chase Temple.

01Varieties

Tangors are purposely bred or accidental hybrids of the sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) and the mandarin (Citrus reticulata), producing several varieties.

'Clementine' (Willowleaf × unknown sweet orange) (a commercially important cultivar)
'King' ("King of Siam"; formerly Citrus nobilis)
'Tsunonozomi' (Kiyomi x Encore)
'Murcott' ("honey Murcott"; "Murcott honey orange"; "red"; "big red")
'Ortanique' (originally found in Jamaica, the name comes from the words "orange", "tangerine", and "unique"). In 1939, David Daniel Phillips was recognised by the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) as the creator of the ortanique.
'Temple' (Willowleaf × unknown sweet orange) (believed to be the same as the "magnet" variety of Japan)
'Umatilla' (misnomer "Umatilla tangelo")
'Pontianak' (originally found in Indonesia, named after a provincial capital)
'Setoka' (Japan, hybrid of Murcott and Kuchinotsu No.37)
'Gonggan' (China)

Satsuma tangors

'Iyokan' (Miyagawa × unknown sweet orange)
'Miyauchi Iyo' (early-ripening Iyo mutant)
'Othani Iyo' (late-ripening Miyauchi mutant)
'Kiyomi' (Miyagawa × Trovita navel orange)
'Seto' (Sugiyama Unshiu × Trovita navel orange)
'Reikou' ((Kiyomi x Encore) x (No. 5 x Marcott))

02Cultivation regions

Since the 19th and early 20th centuries, tangors have been cultivated in tropical and warm temperate world regions, such as southern Japan, Florida, Caribbean islands, South Africa, and Malaysia.

03Pests and diseases

The 'Ortanique' variety may be attacked by aphids (Aphis gossypii), rust mite (Phyllocoptruta oleivora) or various species of scale insects and moths. The fungus Sphaeropsis tumefaciens may cause knots in twigs.

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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Tangor”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Photo ortanique.JPG by ERMI, Public domain

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