True Name/ common/ slang names:
 Tangerine -  Citrus reticulata

Description of look and flavor:
 Tangerines are an orange or reddish derivative of the mandarin orange, but are smaller and much easier to peel.  They grow on small trees and are at the same time sweeter and more tart than a regular orange.  Good ripe tangerines should be firm, heavy for their size, and pebbly skinned with no deep grooves in the skin.

Growth Period/ harvest –
`They are a typical citrus plant that bears fruit in the winter and spring from about November through May.

Nutritional info –
 Obviously, the tangerine is high in vitamin c like all citrus fruits, but tangerines also contain folates, beta-carotene, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins B1, B2, and B3.

Other uses –
 The mouth-watering tang of tangerines is used to flavor juices, sodas, and candy and the essences and oils are often used as fragrance or aromatherapy treatments.

History –
 One of the oldest varieties, and the former favorite, is the Dancy tangerine,  but for some reason almost no one grows them.  They were known as “zipper-skinned” or “kid glove” tangerines and they ripened in December, so they were a popular stocking-stuffer at Christmas for a long time. 

Interesting facts/ misnomers -
 Each segment of  a citrus fruit is called a carpel, which is very similar to the name for the tiny bones that make up our hands (carpals).  The number of seeds per carpel varies greatly and can be as few as zero and as many as 59.   
 Tangerines were introduces to Europe through the Moroccan seaport, Tangier, which is also the fruit’s namesake.  It has nothing to do with the fact that they are tangy, it’s just a coincidence.