Where did you purchase your variegated orange tree? Sometimes Cara Cara will not have a pronounced navel. But, doesn't sound like a Cara Cara, as the flesh of a Cara Cara is decidedly pink, deep pink. Can you post up photos of the tree and the fruit cut in half?

Patty S.

Here's one of the leaves & the fruit before it was ripe.

Here's one of the fruit cut in half.

I bought this tree that was supposed to be a Cara Cara, and another non-verigated just labeled "navel" at a nursery north of Houston in Kingwood. The "navel" did not fruit this year.

Looks like a variegated calamondin to me

Boy, not sure what it might be. I would try to contact the nursery, and ask what the original parent tree was, that the variegated limb was found on. Not a calamondin, as they are very sour like a kumquat. I wouldn't describe the taste of a calamondin as "bland, mildly sweet". They're very sour. This must be some orange that sported a variegated branch that the nursery is now propagating. So, ask them what the original cultivar was.

Patty S.

Best I can tell, maybe some type of variegated Valencia...

Kida looks like a variegated Hamlin, the variegation is faint but it is there. Seedy fits the description as well.

It sure does, Ryan. But Hamlins are pretty sweet and flavorful, are they not?

Patty S.

color definitely isn't that of a cara cara.

tree is still young, the fruit is small (looks about tennis ball sized), i'd give it a few years to really start producing some good oranges.

were there more seeds on the other half of the orange? if not its "commerically seedless". this year my N33 navel had about 4 seeds in it.

Your plant and fruit looks exactly like my "frankenstein" cara cara. My first fruits were variegated, seedless, and very sweet. It was potted the first year. The second year I decided to put it in the ground. While getting my shovel to dig the hole.....came back to potted plant and my bulldog had chewed it all the way thru the trunk. I had about an inch and a half above the graft so I let it grow out. Took two years to grow back out and fruit. All subsequent fruit are like yours....very seedy, but mine are still super sweet. This year they were only fair, but all other years super sweet. I think it has reverted back to the original "Selecta" variety that it originated from. No scientific evidence, just my thoughts.

It is worth keeping if you don't mind the seeds. Most years it will likely be one of your sweetest citrus here in Houston. I purchased my tree from a reputable nursery in the Rosenberg area and believe it was a variegated cara cara due to the original fruits that were on the tree when I bought it.

Thanks for the input, I'll plan on leaving it to see what happens in the years to come. As for the seeds... There are definitely more on one side than the other, and a bunch of them! There were 23 seeds in one small tennis ball sized orange!

perhaps a Pineapple if it just ripened, or Parson Brown if it has been ripe and wasn't picked earler.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/citrus/oranges.htm
'Pineapple' orange originated from seedlings planted about 1860 near Citra, FL. Its fruit are medium large, somewhat flattened on both ends, with a moderately thick, smooth peel that develops good orange color under cool night conditions. Juice color and quality are very good. It usually contains 15-25 seeds. 'Pineapple' matures about Thanksgiving in the Valley. Unfortunately, the name 'Pineapple' has been used in Texas to designate seedy oranges, which includes both 'Parson Brown' and true 'Pineapple' orange. Basically, if the orange in question matures well before Thanksgiving, it isn't 'Pineapple'.

http://www.fooduniversity.com/foodu/produce_c/producereference/Resources/Fruit/Citrus/Orange/ParsonBrownN.htm
Parson Brown an early orange of Florida, it is widely planted in Florida and grown to some extent in Texas, Arizona, and Louisiana. It ripens in October and November. It is rounded and somewhat oblong, medium to large, the skin is yellow orange to yellow, medium to large juice sacs with abundant juice. the acidity and sweetness is not usually well balanced unless picked quite early. This variety contains 10 to 19 seeds.

It might be a Pineapple because my first post was from the day I picked the fruit (expecting Cara Cara) and I'm still not convinced they were as ripe as they could've been.