HS174
The actual origin of the Murcott (Figure 1) is unknown but is most likely a tangor, which is a cross between a tangerine and a sweet orange. The early history discusses the possibility that the variety originated in a USDA planting around 1916. In about 1922, early history states that Mr. Charles Murcott Smith had a nursery in Bayview, Pinellas County, Florida where several of these trees were located. Mr. Smith most likely obtained the original trees from the USDA. At the present time, it is the most widely grown late Florida tangerine and the fruit is marketed under the name Honey Tangerine; however, its official variety name is Murcott.
1. This document is HS174, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date September 2003. Revised April 2018, March 2021, and February 2024. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.
2. S. H. Futch, Extension agent IV, emeritus; and L. K. Jackson (deceased), professor emeritus and Extension horticulturist; UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.