Mandarins:
What uses has this fruit?
Mandarins are a real convenience food, great for school lunches, snacks and picnics. They are easier to peel than oranges and their segments separate easily. Just spit the pips out or remove before using segments in fruit salads, muffins, cheesecakes, ice cream, savoury salads or with meat.
Mandarin (citrus reticulata) is native to China; the fruit of the Mandarin tree was a traditional gift offered to the Mandarins, hence the origin of its European name. The names Mandarin and Tangerine are both commonly used to describe the same essential oil; Mandarin is the common name used in Europe whereas Tangerine is the name used in America. However, although the same species with the same botanical name, botanically the actual fruit of the tree has very subtle differences in color, shape and size. Tangerines are generally cultivated in the U.S. whereas Mandarins are generally cultivated elsewhere.
Mandarin has been used in ancient China for centuries; the Chinese believed that Mandarin strengthened both the digestive and liver functions. In France, Mandarin is used as a safe remedy for children in indigestion, hiccups and for problems of the elderly, such as digestive problems; Mandarin is considered to be a very gentle and safe essential oil, when used correctly.
This saffron colored oil has a tangy and sweet aroma, and is used in cosmetics, skin care products, and in food products. This oil is often used in creams and body toning lotions to cleanse, firm and refine dull skin. It is believed that Mandarin oil can prevent stretch marks too. Traditionally, Mandarin essential oil has sedative and restorative properties, and is good for treating PMS, poor appetite, colic, and tummy upset. Since it can be soothing and calming, this oil is used for giving children a massage.Mandarin essential oil is extracted by cold expression of the outer peel of the fruit; it has a light, fruity citrus aroma, similar to Orange essential oil. Mandarin oil is balancing, uplifting and calming; its properties include being anti septic, digestive and anti depressant. Mandarin is also used in soaps, cosmetics, perfumes and as a flavoring agent in liqueurs and confectionery.

As an antispasmodic, mandarin oil can be used to treat muscle spasms, as well as stomach cramps. The essential oil can be mixed with a carrier oil, such as almond or sesame, or even with milk, and then poured into a bath to relieve or even prevent muscle pain. To treat stomach cramps, a tea can be made with a few drops of mandarin oil added to it.Mandarin oil also works wonders for the circulatory system. It increases blood flow directly underneath the skin. Mandarin oil is often used in creams and lotions, particularly to prevent stretch marks and to revitalize skin.
Mandarin oil increases the local blood circulation which helps tone the skin and improve its texture. Its is a mildly sedative oil. In France, because of its gently action. Mandarin essential oil is often thought of as ‘the children’s remedy’. French herbalists even prescribe mandarin juice for nervous tension and irritability, and certainly the essential oil can help quieten an over excited child or encourage sleep. The soothing effect of mandarins is attributed to their bromine content, which is higher than in any other citrus fruit.

How does it grow?

Citrus fruits are usually self-fertile (needing only a bee to move pollen within the same flower) or parthenocarpic (not needing pollination and therefore seedless, such as the satsuma).
The tree is more drought-tolerant than the fruit. The mandarin is tender, and is damaged easily by cold. It can be grown in tropical and subtropical areas.
Citrus reticulata,
Family: Rutaceae
Mandarins: type of small orange with loose skin. The mandarin got its name because it was exploited by high-ranking government officials in China (mandarins). a tangerine is an orange-red mandarin with a particular citrus taste. Can be peeled manually.
The fruit of all these varieties is technically a hesperidium, a kind of berry. It consists of several easily separated carpels, or sections, each containing several seeds and many juice cells, covered by a leathery exocarp, or skin, containing numerous oil glands. Orange trees are evergreens, seldom exceeding 9 m (30 ft) in height. The leaves are oval and glossy and the flowers are white and fragrant. Three essential oils are obtained from oranges: oil of orange, obtained from the rind of the fruit and used principally as a flavoring agent; oil of petigrain, obtained from the leaves and twigs and used in perfumery; and oil of neroli, obtained from the blossoms and used in flavorings and perfumes.
Where does it grow?
Tangerines, mandarins, clementines are grown in many countries. The most important producers are China, Spain, Brazil and Japan
 Step 1
Plant your Mandarin orange. First put a layer of rocks or gravel in the bottom of the pot to help water drain away from the roots. Add enough potting soil so that when you put the Mandarin orange into the pot, the surface of the transplant is about 2 inches below the edge of its new pot.
 Step 2
Water thoroughly, until it drains out of the bottom of the pot.
 Step 3
Feed your Mandarin orange weekly with a water-soluble fertilizer applied at half the strength recommended by the manufacturer.
 Step 4
Move the plant outdoors during the frost-free weather of your growing season. Put in full sun and check daily to see if it needs watering.
 Step 5
Move your Mandarin orange indoors when freezing weather arrives. Put in a sunny, south-facing window in a cool room. Citrus do best indoors growing at cool room temperatures in the mid- to upper 60s. Provide extra humidity by using a humidifier near the tree. Or group plants near it to increase the humidity.
 Step 6
Prune in late winter. Cut back the main branches by about a third every other year to maintain it at a size suitable for growing in a pot

Read more: How to Grow Mandarin Oranges | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5137535_grow-mandarin-oranges.html#ixzz0uZ7E18E4

Mandarins grow wild in China and have been cultivated there for thousands of years but came to California around 1870. Some of the first varieties, notably the Dancy, supposedly came from Tangier in Morrocco, so they were nicknamed tangerines.
It is a beneficial food?
Instrumental in preventing colds, vitamin C is vital for the proper functioning of a healthy immune system. While most people know that oranges are full of vitamin C, they may not be aware that just one orange supplies 116.2% of the daily value of vitamin C. A water-soluble antioxidant, vitamin C disarms free radicals to prevent cellular damage. Cancer is a potential result of free radical damage, particularly in areas of the body where cellular turnover is rapid, such as the digestive system. This is why the intake of vitamin C is associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer, in particular.
Free radicals also oxidize cholesterol. After being oxidized, cholesterol sticks to arterial walls, impeding blood flow and increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke. This build-up of fatty deposits is also a precursor to fatty liver disease. Since vitamin C helps neutralize free radicals, it can also prevent the oxidation of cholesterol that increases fatty deposits in the blood.
All citrus fruits and juices are full of vitamins and minerals essential to maintaining a healthy diet.
Both the National Heart Foundation of Australia and the Cancer Council of Australia have recognized the important role that a healthy, balanced diet including citrus fruits and juices may play in helping reduce the risk of certain types of heart disease and cancers.
Here are two quick summaries of all the good things you can find in citrus:
Vitamin C
RDA:
60mg * Helps the body in the healing process * Aids in iron absorption * Helps strengthens body tissues, bones and blood vessels. * Diets low in fat and rich in fruits and vegetables containing vitamins A and C may reduce the risk of some types of cancer. Citrus and citrus juices are excellent sources of Vitamin C.
Folic Acid
RDA:
400mcg * Helps in the production of mature red-blood cells. * May reduces the risk of birth defects of the brain and spine.
Potassium
RDA:
3,500mg
* Potassium is an essential mineral and works to maintain fluid balance in the body; cell strength and structure; and assist nerve transmission.
Dietary
Fibre
RDA:
25gm * When part of a low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables, fibre has been found to reduce the risk of some forms of cancer and soluble fibre has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease. * Fibre also aids in digestion and elimination.

My Questions-
Does the mandarin fruit have anything to do with the language?
What beauty uses do mandarins have?
What family does the mandarin belong to? Mandarins * Mandarins originated in China and were named after the officials of the Imperial Court, the Mandarins. * There are three main varieties of Mandarins – Imperial, Ellendale and the Murcott or Honey Tangerine. * The mandarin has many names, some of which actually refer to crosses between the mandarin and another citrus fruit. * Mandarins are an excellent source of vitamin C, a good source of B vitamins, low in calories and a good source of fibre.