10 Things Worth Knowing About Orange(s)

Well, I'm on a roll here. I'm not sure if the hits have increased, but definitely the requests for info have!! So, still on the theme of Orange, here are some other fun facts about the fruit and the colour :)

1. According to wikipedia there are over 50 types of oranges including varieties, such as, Belladonna, Pineapple and Queen -  not related to the regal "House of Orange."

2. Navel oranges are named because of the bellybutton formation on the opposite side of the fruit from the stem - always an "outer" and lint-free.

3. Blood oranges are the characteristic fruit in Marmalade - the jam, not the cat.

Orange Tree

4. Orangeries are indoor orchards for oranges. In smaller homes they are called sun rooms and in apartments - window sills.

5. Brazil is the largest orange producing country. It produces 30% of the world's oranges. Another great reason to "fly down to Rio."

6. The name of the colour Orange is a chicken and egg mystery. That is, no one is sure what came first, the fruit or the colour name. However, no one has ever seen an orange make a conscious decision to cross a road.

7. Using the colour or fruit in your brand may be a positive. Here are a few examples from The Telegraph -

Flymo, the hover lawnmower, was originally blue and only turned orange in 1977. This was in response to consumer research that claimed it made it easier to find in long grass. Orange, the telecom company, was founded in 1994. Brand consultants Wolff Olins developed the orange square to emphasise the colour, rather than the fruit. They drew on the Chinese aesthetic discipline of feng shui, in which orange is the colour of purpose and organisation, and is supposed to help focus concentration. In the same year, advertising agency WCRS came up with the tag line: “The future’s bright, the future’s Orange.”

Less than a year later, airline easyJet launched with orange livery.

8. New York City was once called New Orange. Would the Big Apple then have been the Big Naval?

9. No word in English rhymes with orange. Enough said.

10. Orange is the colour associated with Protestant religions. This fact is illustrated graphically in the flag of the Republic of Ireland. The green portion on the right is identified with Catholic Ireland and the orange on the left, Protestant Ireland and the white in between, the hope for peace between the two.

Please add any facts that I may have omitted. As an aside, how do you peel your oranges? My father always used a spoon :)

Have a colourful day!!