

There is some evidence that there was a similar species grown in China thousands of years ago however the origins of the original Clementine species remain murky. They say that the Clementine originated in China thousands of years ago as a variation of what today is called a Mandarin orange.

Legend says the Clementine was originally developed by a monk in Algeria accidentally when two species of citrus fruits created a hybrid but some expert say that is just a legend. Sometimes Clementines are pale and almost indistinguishable from a traditional orange but often the bright orange hue of a Clementine rind makes it obvious that the fruit is a Clementine. Clementines are a species of citrus fruit closely related to a Mandarin orange. Clementines are often called Christmas oranges because their growing season is from the middle of November through the end of January. If you have ever received a fruit basket at Christmastime or woken up to find citrus fruits in your holiday stocking you probably were given Clementines and didn’t know it.
