Washington Navel orange

Washington Navel is an orange first introduced from Bahia, Brazil, into the United States by D. J. BROWNE in 1835, and he named it Citrus Aurantium umbilicata, Navel Golden-fruited Orange, in his work dated 1846. These trees did not survive, and the later introduction by SOUNDERS made in 1870 established with a great success, according to VAN DEMAN'S first note published in 1886. A direct introduction of the same kind from Brazil to Australia created there a new industry, but the strain introduced is accounted generally to be much inferior to that of North America. A successful introduction to the Mediterranean district is also recorded, but Washington Navel did not win a fame on account of the existence of other desirable kinds. Occasionally, early existence of the naveled sweet orange in Europe is credited by authors, like LELONG, HUME, and Corr, quoting the paintings of FERRARIUS, VOILCKAMER, JONSTONUS, STERBEECK, etc. for refernce, but this is baseless because these figures chiefly refer to the double-whorled sour orange, still encountered in this region. The earliest mention of the naveled sweet orange in Europe is perhaps the work of GALLESIO published in 1811, and this was later called by Risso Citrus Aurantium duplex, by having double flower. Besides this navel orange, Risso later described two other oblate varieties, namely, Citrus Aurantium fetiferum, and Citrus Aurantium umbiticatum, the latter being a blood orange. An excellent navel orange of remarkably flat shape, markedly depressed at both ends and longitudinally furrowed, with carpels arranged in three whorls, was studied by the writer at Nice, France, and this was identified to be C. Aurantium fetiferum of Risso. Another kind, called Navel Algerienne, being a seedling of the preceeding, was investigated at Alger, Algeria: This has roundish outline, large second carpel whorl reaching to the equatorial plane, and with distinctly fan-shaped vesicle arrangement like the above. In comparison with those, Washington Navel is characterised by still larger, more elliptic outline, smaller second carpel whorl, and abundant stronger pulp vesicles, netted in basket-work arrangement. From this comparative study, Washington Navel is concluded to be a distinct variety, having no resemblance with four Mediterranean navel oranges mentioned above. Being Citrus Aurantium umbilicata of BRowNE and Citrus Aurantium foetiferuni of SAVASTANO, both applied to Washington Navel, homonyms of alredy stated Mediterranean types, and RICCOBON'S C. Aurantium sigillatum, also adopted for Washington Navel, homonym of an entirely different orange, the writer chose a new name, Citrus sinensis brasiliensis n. var. for the scientific name of Washigton Navel. Citrus sinensis fetifera n. comb., for the double orange of Nice, and C. sinesis algeriensis n. var. Navel Algerienne, were also determined, and C. sinennsis duplex and C. sinensis umbilicata were provisionally proposed for those described by RISSQ. These five kinds of navel oranges are not only distinct from each other, but are markedly different from the type of Citrus sinensis OSBECK, and are worth to be called botanical varieties. (Joint contributions from Horticultural Institute, Kyushu Imperial University, No. 13, and Phytotechnical Institute, Miyazaki College of Agriculture, No. 11.)