What Is A Clementine Orange & How Many Calories Does It Have?

Oranges have several different varieties with distinguishing characteristics. These varieties include mandarins and tangerines. Technically, mandarins have loose skin and are smaller than sweet oranges. "Tangerine" originally referred to mandarin-type oranges shipped from Tangiers, Morocco, but now the term refers to mandarins that have a red-orange peel. In some areas of the U.S., the terms are used synonymously, although not all mandarins are tangerines. The clementine orange, or clementine mandarin or tangerine, is a smaller variety but one that is still nutritious.

Identification

Clementines are generally seedless. Martha Filipic of Ohio State University Extension writes that if seeds are found in a clementine, the tree has been cross-pollinated. She notes that commercial groves of clementine trees are usually kept isolated to prevent cross-pollination with other species.

Nutrition Information

Clementines contain, on average, about 35 calories per fruit. This is approximate, as clementines vary somewhat in size. One clementine has about 36 mg of vitamin C, which is almost half of the recommended daily intake for women and about 40 percent of the recommended intake for men. Filipic points to the clementine as a good source of potassium, two B vitamins and fiber.

History

Clementines are sometimes called Algerian tangerines. They started out as an unexpected hybrid found in an Algerian orchard; the University of California-Riverside, says the parentage is unknown. One theory is that the parent oranges might be a mandarin and a bitter orange, but in the 1960s, another theory noted the similarities between clementines and Canton mandarins. Clementine cultivation began in Florida and California in the early 1900s.

Pollination Problems

Pollination is required because clementines are one of the few citrus varieties that are not self-fruitful. However, pollination and the local bee population both need to be controlled to produce seedless clementines. Craig Kallsen, a farm advisor to the University of California Cooperative Extension, writes that cross-pollination with common citrus such as lemons and Valencia oranges can result in seedy clementine fruit. He also warns that bees can transfer unwanted pollen to clementine trees even if the trees are shielded from other citrus varieties by up to 100 rows of other trees.

Cultivation Issues

Clementines typically do well in Mediterranean, subtropical and tropical climates, although Kallsen notes they might not do as well in the extreme heat found in California's Central Valley. The trees are also fairly cold-hardy, but freezes nearly wiped out orchards in Texas in the 1980s. The choice of rootstock affects cold sensitivity, but soil type can take precedence over cold-hardiness. The county or university extension for your area will have information about the specific soil types and temperature ranges that you'll have to deal with if you decide to plant a tree of your own.