Mandarin Tree - Citrus deliciosa

The Mandarin Tree, also known as Citrus deliciosa or C. reticulata, is a small, fragrant, and vigorous bush. It produces round mandarins, slightly flattened at the ends, with sweet, juicy, and flavourful flesh. They turn a beautiful orange colour thanks to the first frosts. They are harvested from November to January, when they are ripe.

The Mandarin Tree is a tree native to China.

Cultivated for its ornamental qualities and its mandarins, the Mandarin Tree can reach a height of 4 to 5 m (13 to 16ft) in the ground. With its spreading and rounded habit, it highlights its beautiful dense and evergreen foliage. Its leaves are elongated, pointed, glossy on the top, ranging from bright green to deep green, and very fragrant. It produces small, highly fragrant white flowers that give way to round mandarins, slightly flattened at the ends, with sweet, juicy, and flavourful flesh. They turn a beautiful orange colour thanks to the first frosts. They are harvested from November to January, when they are ripe.

Like all Citrus, the Mandarin Tree contains essential oil pockets in its leaves, flowers, and fruits, often visible to the naked eye, from which essential oil is extracted through distillation (flowers and leaves) or pressing (peel). Most citrus trees thrive in the ground in Mediterranean coastal regions, where they find the necessary warmth all year round. Elsewhere, they will be grown in pots and stored as soon as the first cold weather arrives. Not very hardy, the Mandarin Tree starts to suffer from cold temperatures from -5°C.

The Mandarin Tree blossoms in November and December and bears fruit from October to March. It is a self-fertile bush, which means that a single individual is enough for complete pollination and fruiting. However, if your citrus tree remains indoors permanently, you will need to occasionally let the pollinators do their work or, if you feel delicate enough, perform hand pollination.