Red Navel

susan2010

12 years ago

I just bought some (fruit) from Florida, Red Navel, according to the label/sticker. Very, very tasty. Does anyone have any idea what, more specifically, it might be? I'd like to keep an eye out for a plant. I've done some Googling, and I've seen various possibilities, from an orange-grapefruit cross, to a "Moro," to a blood orange hybrid. It's a sweet fruit.

Thanks!

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Comments (5)

johnmerr
12 years ago
Red Navel is more commonly called Cara Cara; if you check that name you might have better luck. I think it is a cross between a Washington navel and the Brazilian Bahianinha (sp). I believe it is commonly referred to as Red Navel in Florida.
hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
12 years ago
Yes, that would be Cara Cara, and it is actually a sport of a Washington navel, not a cross that I'm aware of, John. Very successfully grown here in S. California. I love them, they are ever so slightly sweeter than a Washington Navel, and their flesh is pink tinged. A very lovely navel orange. I like them so much, it's my only navel orange. According to UCR Citrus Variety Collection, it was discovered in 1976 at the Hacienda Cara Cara in Venezuela. From Venezuela, it was brought to Florida and then introduced into California, where it is well adapted. It does extremely well here in my area.

Patty S.
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houstontexas123
12 years ago
one of our asian markets here had a shipment of pink Cara Cara's this past week, bought a bunch of them. wasn't quite as good as i expected. color of the flesh was pinkish, reminds me of a ruby red grapefruit. taste was somewhat orangey flavored, no acidity, but not very sweet either. i had bought a small Cara Cara pink navel tree last spring, i hope it produces better fruit than the store bought ones.

did a search for florida red navel, and from the websites it does resemble the pink Cara Cara's i bought. but most of those websites call them "Scarlet" Navels, and are a "new hybrid". so might be different than Cara Cara's. maybe some of the Floridians could chime in.

this summer i bought a decent sized Moro Blood tree with 4 fruit on it. picked the 3 ripest 2 days ago for a family lunch. the ripest one was about 80% reddish purple on the inside and super sweet. very happy with that purchase.
susan2010
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks, everyone! Have a happy and safe holiday!
tantanman
12 years ago
Red Navels were sold in Houston at Home Depot before the state supplied citrus budwood became mandatory about ten yrs ago. They were grown by Crockett Nursery (now defunct) in Harlingen, Tx.

Dr. Julian Sauls is a professor of horticulture at the Texas A&M Citrus Center and an Agriculture Extension Agent and he referred to them as red navels not Cara Caras. And I believe they may be different. They seem to be darker and some years get a lot more of a berry flavor. They can also become drier.

When they are in a good year, they are the best of my 25+ varieties. I also have have Moro, Sanguinelli, Torroco, and a "blood Jaffa". O.K., maybe red tinged, Jaffa. I got it from Crockett also. And I have a reference to them. I like the red navels because their pigment is lycopene and they start out like grapefruit, fully colored and fade as they hang on the tree. Blood oranges mostly don't get very red in our climate because color is induced by non interrupted cold nights.