Tangerine

Tangerine is an evergreen citrus tree sold as Citrus tangerina, though botanists usually treat tangerines as part of the mandarin group, native to Southeast Asia. It has glossy leaves, fragrant white flowers, and slightly flattened, deep reddish orange fruit with a thin, leathery peel that slips off by hand. Gardeners grow it for easy-peeling winter fruit. Plant tangerine in full sun and well-drained soil; trees tolerate light shade but fruit better in full sun. Water young trees regularly and established trees during dry spells; avoid soggy ground. It is hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11; the tree is moderately cold hardy, but freezes damage the thin-skinned fruit before the wood. Standard trees reach 15 to 25 feet, so allow at least 15 feet between them. Bloom comes in spring and fruit ripens from fall into winter; 'Dancy' matures in December and January and bears heavily in alternate years.