If you’ve eaten an orange lately, there is a very good chance it was a navel orange. Navel oranges are the most popular eating oranges in the world. They are large, sweet, and juicy but not too juicy. They have a crisp texture and are easy to peel. They are also seedless. What’s not to love?
Although many navel oranges are grown in California and Florida, the fruit probably originated in Bahia, Brazil. Brazil is still the largest orange-producing country in the world, producing well over 20 million tons a year.
💡 Did You Know?
The Navel Orange and the Pomato share a “grafting” secret. Just as the seedless navel orange must be grafted to survive, the famous Pomato plant—which grows tomatoes on top and potatoes on the bottom—is also a product of grafting rather than genetic engineering.
Is the Pomato Real? Discover the Truth Behind the Graft
The exact origin of the navel orange is a mystery. Brazilian orange growers tell many different stories about its discovery. However, it seems likely that the variety originated as a mutation of a laranja selecta orange tree sometime around 1820. The navel orange is very similar to the Selecta orange. Although rare, a ‘navel’ sometimes appears on Selecta fruits. This navel is a rudimentary second fruit that develops at the apex of the main fruit, and from the outside resembles a human navel or belly button. For this reason, it was given the name “umbigo de Selecta” in Brazil or “navel Selecta.”
As a mutant, seedless variety, navel oranges cannot be grown without grafting a branch from a navel orange tree onto another tree. This means that all navel oranges today originate from a single Brazilian tree.
💡 Did You Know? The navel orange isn’t the only citrus mystery. While the navel was a natural mutation, the grapefruit is a “backcrossed” hybrid of a pomelo and a sweet orange.
Read the Full History: The Truth About the Grapefruit Hybrid
Navel oranges were approved for production in the United States in 1870. The U.S. Department of Agriculture obtained cuttings from a navel orange tree in Bahia, and William Saunders, then superintendent of gardens for USDA, sent two young trees to Eliza Tibbets, noted spiritualist, rights activist, and suffragette in Riverside, California. The trees were planted in 1873 and began producing fruit in 1875. Three years later, these navel oranges won first prize at the Southern California Horticultural Fair.
Citrus trees had grown in Riverside since 1871, but the new Washington navel orange was superior. It was seedless, sweet, and ripened during the mild California winter. As well, since it was not planted from seeds, as were earlier orange trees, the oranges were dependably similar to one another instead of being diverse and lacking uniformity.
The new trees became an instant sensation. Tibbets was soon selling budstock for five dollars a bud—an extravagant price at the time. The navel orange made Riverside a leader in the citrus industry. Eventually, it became the foundation for the entire California and Arizona citrus trade. Soon, Navel oranges were being shipped in by railroad to the rest of the country.
One of the original Riverside trees was transplanted from the Tibbet’s yard to the Mission Inn in 1903. President Theodore Roosevelt, who was staying at the hotel during a tour of the city, was there to dedicate the tree. This tree later died in 1921.
🍊 Key Takeaways: The Origin of the Navel Orange
- Spontaneous Mutation: The navel orange originated in Bahia, Brazil, around 1820 as a natural mutation on a laranja selecta orange tree.
- Biological Mystery: The “navel” is actually a rudimentary second fruit that grows at the apex of the main orange, resembling a human belly button.
- Genetic Clones: Because they are seedless, every navel orange eaten today is a genetic clone propagated through grafting from that original Brazilian tree.
- American Foundation: Two trees sent to Eliza Tibbets in Riverside, California, in 1873 became the foundation of the massive California and Arizona citrus industries.
