Orlando Tangelo

Fruit medium-large, broadly oblate to subglobose; without neck; seedy. Rind orange-colored; thin, slightly pebbled, and fairly tightly adherent (not free-peeling). Segments numerous (12-14); axis small and hollow. Flesh orange-colored; tender, very juicy; flavor mildly sweet. Season of maturity early.^⁠[1]

Tree somewhat similar to Minneola but with distinctively cupped leaves; somewhat more cold resistant; less vigorous; cross pollination recommended for regular and good production. Dancy, Clementine, and Kinnow mandarins and Temple tangor are said to be good pollinators. Minneola tangelo is cross-incompatible.^⁠[1]

Orlando is of the same parentage as Minneola and Seminole—a hybrid of Duncan grapefruit and Dancy tangerine. UF/IFAS reports that W. T. Swingle made the cross between Dancy and Duncan in 1911; its abstract does not give the later name-change year. Originally it was named Lake, but it was later renamed to avoid confusion. Its earliness of maturity, good shipping quality, and pleasant flavor made it the outstanding popular tangelo in Florida, where the annual production in 1965 exceeded a million boxes. In the low elevation regions of Arizona and California, there is increasing interest in its culture. Total plantings in 1964 consisted of 610 acres.^⁠[1]⁠[8]