The historical origin of citrus fruits is about twenty million years ago, in the Tertiary era, but those varieties bear little resemblance to today's sweet oranges. Citrus fruits have been cultivated for more than 4000 years.
▶ Their fruits apparently attracted the attention of the primitive settlers, who were in charge of cultivating them long before the appearance of European countries where they were brought by the first travelers thanks to the captivating appearance of their fruits and flowers.
The sweet orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck), originally from southeast China, was probably brought to Europe by the Romans, but there is evidence of orange cultivation before the destruction of Pompeii (in 79 A.D.).
As observed in a mosaic among the ruins of the city, it is known that the Europeans knew it and its references are found in manuscripts and very old documents.
In America, citrus fruits arrived in America from the Caribbean and Brazil, which was the place where they arrived first, but their arrival was only the beginning of a constant improvement of the product in our continent, the research and improvement of citrus fruits began with the theories of Mendel and Darwin.
The USA has been a leader in the development of citrus production technology, first California and then Florida, became the main centers of research and production worldwide, thus new varieties created by men appeared, such as tangelos, citranges and limequat. Today, citrus fruits are produced in subtropical and tropical areas, but their fruits are part of the daily life of millions of people around the world.
