The Tangerine (Citrus reticulata) is an orange or red colored citrus fruit, a type of mandarin orange.

They are smaller than most oranges, and the skin of some varieties peels off more easily. The flavor is often more sour and more sweet than that of an orange.

Good quality tangerines will be firm to slightly hard, heavy for their size and pebbly-skinned with no deep grooves, also orange in color. Peak tangerine season is short, lasting from November to January in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Honey tangerine, which was originally called a murcott, is very sweet as its name suggests. Other popular kinds include the Sunburst and Fairchild tangerines.

One of the oldest varieties is the Dancy tangerine, once the most popular type, but no longer widely grown. The Dancy was known as the zipper-skin tangerine and as the kid-glove orange for its loose, pliable peel. Its peak season is December, so children often received one in their Christmas stockings.

Tangerine flavor is used in bottled juice or gatorade soft drinks, and the fresh fruit can be used in salads, desserts and main dishes. It is, however, most commonly eaten out of hand. Tangerines are a good source of vitamin C, folate and beta-carotene. They also contain some potassium, magnesium and vitamins B1, B2 & B3.

The number of seeds in each segment (carpel) varies greatly (up to 59).

Historically the name tangerine comes from Tangier, Morocco, the port from which the first tangerines were shipped to Europe. The adjective tangerine, from Tangier or Tanger, was already an English word (first recorded in 1710).

A popular alternative to tangerines are clementines, which are also a variant of the mandarin orange.

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