An orangelo (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

''chironja'' – ''C. paradisi'' × ''C. sinensis'') is a

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

fruit originated in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. The fruit, a cross between a

grapefruit The grapefruit (''Citrus'' × ''paradisi'') is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. The flesh of the fruit is segmented and varies in color from pale yellow to dark red. Grapefru ...

and an orange, had spontaneously appeared in the shade-providing trees grown on

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

plantations in the Puerto Rican highlands. In 1956, Carlos G. Moscoso, from the Horticulture, Agricultural Extension Service of the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Universidad de Puerto Rico;'' often shortened to UPR) is the main List of state and territorial universities in the United States, public university system in the Commonwealth (U.S. i ...

noticed trees that grew fruits that were larger and a brighter yellow than those of the other trees on the plantations. Rootstock trials led to the development of the hybrid commonly known as the ''chironja.'' In Puerto Rican Spanish, the name is a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of orange (

Puerto Rican Spanish Puerto Rican Spanish is the variety of the Spanish language as characteristically spoken in Puerto Rico and by millions of people of Puerto Rican descent living in the United States and elsewhere. It belongs to the group of Caribbean Spanish ...

: china) and

( toronja). Orangelos are often eaten in the same manner as grapefruit (cut in half and eaten with a

grapefruit spoon A grapefruit spoon is a utensil usually similar in design to a teaspoon that tapers to a sharp edge or teeth, the intent of the front serrated blade, serration being to separate the flesh of a grapefruit from its rind. Also called an orange spoon ...

), but are sweeter and brighter in color than grapefruit, as well as being easier to peel. They are round to pear-shaped, with 9–13 segments.

References

External links

Chironja
at the Citrus Variety Collection.
THE PUERTO RICAN CHIRONJA – A new type of citrus

Chironja
at Citrus ID
The Puerto Rican chironja—new all- purpose citrus fruit
Grapefruit Oranges (fruit) {{Rutaceae-stub