Unknown parentage
Valencia Orange
Other names: Excelsior, Hart Late, Hart's Tardiff, Rivers Late, Valencia Late
Estimated Genetic Ancestry
- 100% Sweet Orange
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World of CitrusWorld of CitrusUnknown parentage
Other names: Excelsior, Hart Late, Hart's Tardiff, Rivers Late, Valencia Late
In his 1967 account, Hodgson calls Valencia the latest-maturing commercial orange. He describes fruit that holds exceptionally well on the tree, stores and ships well, and is excellent for processing.[10]
Although the name suggests a Spanish origin, Hodgson says the common assumption is unsupported. His 1967 account traces the variety through Rivers’s 1865 import from the Azores, records the later California name Valencia Late, and considers Portugal the probable origin.[10]
Individual grower reports describe different trees and conditions: a tree identified by its presenter as Campbell Valencia still held prior-season fruit in mid-May while its next crop had set; another grower said a Valencia tree at least 30 years old had survived an unspecified frost; and a potted nursery Valencia had flowers opening in March 2020. In a separate video, Gary Gragg described the displayed fruit as firm and Valencia as summer-ripening, predicting peak ripeness about a month later.[11][12][15][17]