Broad, green leaves and spherical, orange fruit

Citrus × aurantium

Bitter orange

Family: Rutaceae
Other common names: 甜橙 (Chinese, traditional), mandarin (English), marmalade orange (English), orange (English), Seville orange (English), tangerine (English), oranger (French), نارنج (Persian), laranja-amarga (Portuguese), naranja (Spanish)
IUCN Red List status: Not Evaluated
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The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species is the world’s most comprehensive source of information on the global conservation status of species. In the IUCN Red List this species is placed in the category: Not Evaluated – has not yet been evaluated against the IUCN Red List Criteria.

On this page

On this page

Bitter orange is an evergreen tree cultivated throughout the world for its round, orange or green fruit.

These prized fruits are a vital ingredient in marmalade and liqueurs such as Triple Sec.

Plant description

Evergreen tree with small thorns; broad, green leaves; and large, white, fragrant flowers. Its spherical fruit have a thick, orange or sometimes green peel. The juicy pulp is orange in colour and can taste sweet or sour.

Read the scientific profile on orange

Delicate, white flower
Bitter orange © Igor Sheremetyev
Spherical, green fruit and broad, green leaves
Bitter orange fruit and leaves © Igor Sheremetyev
Plant uses

Beauty and cosmetics

Bitter orange essential oil is used in skin care products because of its antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Bitter orange is also used to fragrance perfume and hair care products with notes of citrus.

Food and drink

The raw pulp of bitter orange is inedible, but the fruit is used to make marmalade and was in early recipes of duck à l’orange. 

Bitter orange oil is also used as a flavouring agent in foods and liqueurs and the fruit peel is used as a seasoning.

Did you know?

  • Bitter orange is an artificial hybrid - it was produced by breeding two different plants together. So it does not have a native range but it is widely cultivated throughout the world.

Where in the world?
Enlarge map
Introduced: Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Cambodia, Canary Is., Cayman Is., Central American Pacific Is., China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Cook Is., Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Himalaya, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Haiti, Iraq, Italy, Jamaica, Korea, Laos, Leeward Is., Libya, Madeira, Mauritius, Mexico Southeast, Morocco, Myanmar, New Caledonia, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Rodrigues, Réunion, Santa Cruz Is., Socotra, Solomon Is., Somalia, Spain, Tajikistan, Tibet, Trinidad-Tobago, Tunisia, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wallis-Futuna Is.
Find it in our gardens

Kew Gardens

A botanic garden in southwest London with the world’s most diverse living plant collection.

Location

North Wing of the Temperate House

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Best time to see
Flowers: Apr, May, Jun
Fruits: Jul, Aug, Sep
Foliage: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
More about this plant

Other plants

Rosemary, Ellen McHale/RBG Kew

Rosemary

Salvia rosmarinus

Spherical, pink flowers on a stem

Thrift

Armeria maritima

The red berries of a yew tree

Yew

Taxus baccata

Shop

Browse our range of orange products. Buying something from the Kew Online Shop supports our vital science work.

  • Kew jasmine & orange diffuser

    Kew jasmine & orange diffuser

    £16.00

  • Kew orange & cinnamon candle

    Kew orange & cinnamon candle

    £12.00

  • Botanical orange chocolate

    Botanical orange chocolate

    £3.50