[4] Within Europe, the arancia rossa di Sicilia (red orange of Sicily) has protected geographical status.

The 'Moro' variety is believed to have originated at the beginning of the 19th century in the citrus-growing area around Lentini (in the Province of Syracuse in Sicily, Italy)[12][13] as a bud mutation[14] of the "Sanguinello Moscato".

[7] The 'Moro' is a "deep blood orange",[7] meaning that the flesh ranges from orange-veined with ruby coloration, to vermilion, to vivid crimson, to nearly black.

The Tarocco is one of the world's most popular oranges because of its sweetness (Brix to acid ratio is generally above 12.0) and juiciness.

It has the highest vitamin C content of any orange variety grown in the world, mainly on account of the fertile soil surrounding Mount Etna, and it is easy to peel.

[citation needed] The University of California, Riverside Citrus Variety Collection has delineated three subcultivars of 'Tarocco'.

The 'Bream Tarocco', which was originally donated by Robert Bream of Lindsay, California, is of medium to large fruit with few to no seeds.

[citation needed] The Sanguinello /sæŋɡwɪˈnɛloʊ/, also called Sanguinelli in the US (the plural form of its name in Italian), discovered in Spain in 1929, has reddish skin, few seeds, and sweet, tender flesh.

The anthocyanins – which give the orange its distinct maroon color – will only develop when temperatures are low at night, as during the Mediterranean fall and winter.

[3] Blood oranges cultivated in the United States are in season from December to March (Texas), and from November to May (California).