Nevertheless, the initial development that led to the name “Washington Navel” and the worldwide commercialization of the present-day Navel orange originated from the importation of 12 budded trees in 1870 which were sent from Bahia, Brazil by Mr. However, there were also oranges with navels being grown in Spain and Portugal prior to the 1820s and it is likely that oranges with navels originated sometime earlier, possibly even in China. Washington Navel orange, the original commercial Navel orange selection, is at its best in the late autumn into the winter, but holds on the tree for several weeks beyond maturity and stores well.Īlthough the exact origin of Navel orange is not known, it is believed to have developed from a branch mutation in a Selecta orange tree in the early 1800s in Bahia, Brazil. Their large round fruits have a slightly pebbled orange rind that is relatively easily peeled, and the navel-end, really a small secondary fruit, sometimes protrudes from the apex of the fruit. The flowers lack viable pollen so the Navel orange does not pollinate other citrus flowers, and due to the lack of functional pollen and viable ovules, Navel orange fruits are seedless. Navel oranges are characterized by the presence of a secondary fruitlet and a small stylar opening, the “navel.” Navel orange trees, in general, are not particularly vigorous, and have a round, somewhat drooping canopy and grow to a moderate size.
Gmitter Jr., in The Genus Citrus, 2020 5.5.3 Navel oranges