
Clementines look similar to tangerines, but they’re a little smaller, and their skins are brighter, shinier and smoother. Both tangerines and clementines are sweet and easy to peel. Tangerines and clementines are the second largest cultivated group of citrus fruit after sweet oranges (which include larger sized varieties like navel and blood oranges). How to Tell a Tangerine and Clementine Apart. The mandarin tangerine is the most popular mandarin variety. Mandarins botanically refer to three classifications of oranges: satsumas, tangerines and miscellaneous hybrids. The mandarin is one of the original citrus species (along with the citron and pomelo) that, through breeding or natural hybridization, serves as the ancestor of many hybrid citrus cultivars.

Tangerines and clementines aren’t the same fruit, either, but they are practically first cousins – they are both hybrids of the small-sized mandarin. In fact, the terms mandarin and tangerine are used interchangeably throughout the USA, even though they’re not the same. Are clementines tangerines? Are tangerines oranges? With over 160 varieties and hybrids of mandarins, it’s no wonder people get confused.
