Like the tangerine, it’s a sweet, easy to peel citrus fruit ( 2). The clementine ( Citrus clementina) is another variety of mandarin. Tangerines also have a darker reddish-orange, soft, pebbly skin that’s easy to peel. They’re sweeter than navel oranges but still a bit tart. You can find them in stores from November through April. Grown in warm weather climates across the globe, tangerines are a bit more cold-weather tolerant, compared with larger varieties of sweet oranges. However, while all tangerines are mandarins, not all mandarins are tangerines.

In the United States, tangerines are often called mandarins. They’re named because they were exported by traveling through the port of Tangier in Morocco. Tangerines ( Citrus tangerina) are thought to be native to Southeast Asia ( 3).

Tangerines and clementines have a similar appearance, so it’s easy to get them confused or think they’re one and the same. They share many of the same characteristics as other mandarins, such as a smaller size compared with navel oranges, few to no seeds, a sweet flavor, and a thin, soft skin that’s very easy to peel ( 2). They’re the second largest cultivated group of citrus fruit after sweet oranges, which include larger sized varieties like navel and blood oranges ( 1).

Tangerines and clementines are both hybrids of the small-sized mandarin.

Clementine v tangerine v mandarin