Garden flower

Orange

Citrus sinensis

Orange (Citrus sinensis) is a shrub or small tree in the Rutaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states.

★ Official state flower of Florida (1909)🌷 Garden flowerNot native to Florida

Orange is a popular garden flower. It's grown in Florida gardens, so wild records are few.

2states where USDA records it

398FL sightings*

428U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026. Planted garden flowers are mostly excluded from research grade.

On our lists for: Florida

🏅

Florida's official state flower since 1909. Visit the Florida page → ^{Fla. Stat. § 15.031}

Quick look

The bitter orange, sour orange, Seville orange, bigarade orange, or marmalade orange is the hybrid citrus tree species Citrus × aurantium, and its fruit. It is native to Southeast Asia and has been spread by humans to many parts of the world. It is a cross between the pomelo, Citrus maxima, and the wild type mandarin orange, Citrus reticulata.
From Wikipedia's article Bitter orange, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Rutaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a tree with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 2 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as not native to Florida. ^NatureServe
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as green. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 30 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 398 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #109 among the 151 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (11 records)

There are only a handful of Florida flowering records (garden plants are mostly left out of research-grade records), so this chart uses records from across the U.S.

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. ^NatureServe
Florida: n/a Florida's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Florida. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsToxic to dogs, cats and horses

ASPCA's entry “Orange” (Citrus sinensis) lists it as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Signs include: Vomiting, diarrhea, depression; potential dermatitis. Fruit is edible, skins and plant material can cause… ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records orange in 2 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Florida, Louisiana.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Citrus, Hillsborough, Manatee, Martin, Pasco, Polk.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Orange a medium shade tolerance, medium drought tolerance and medium moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 5.0 to 7.0 and winter lows down to 17 °F.

Shade tolerance: Medium
Drought tolerance: Medium
Moisture use: Medium
Soil textures it is adapted to: coarse, medium, fine
Soil pH range: 5.0 to 7.0
Minimum temperature tolerated: 17 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum): 365
Annual precipitation range: 60 to 100 inches
Minimum root depth: 60 inches
Salinity tolerance: Low
Fertility requirement: High
Growth rate: Moderate
Lifespan: Moderate
Active growth period: Year Round
Fruit or seed: Orange · Spring to Fall
Can be propagated by: container, cuttings, seed
Commercial availability: Routinely Available

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for CISI3. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Lower 48 states: Introduced; Pacific Basin (excluding Hawaii): Introduced; Puerto Rico: Introduced; U.S. Virgin Islands: Introduced.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 20 counties across 4 states; the most are in Palau (11), Florida (7), Louisiana (1).

Other Citrus on Bloomipedia (1): Lemon.

More from the Rutaceae family (4 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Hercules' club, Northern prickly ash, Turpentine broom.

More Florida flowers

Lemon

Citrus × limon

🌷 Fruit tree

🌷 Grown in Florida gardens

White beggarticks

Bidens alba

Native

🌼 Blooms in FL: January–March

American beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

Native

🌼 Blooms in FL: May–July

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CISI3.
iNaturalist, Citrus sinensis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Bitter orange (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Fla. Stat. § 15.031: Florida state flower.
Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Citrus sinensis (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
Photo: Lauren McLaurin via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.