Student Question
What does Paul learn about tangerines during his first visit to the groves with Luis?
Quick answer:
During his first visit to the tangerine groves with Luis, Paul learns about the cultivation of Cleopatra tangerines and the grafting process used to grow various citrus fruits on one tree. He discovers that the trees start as rough lemon trees, and a bud, or scion, is grafted to produce different citrus fruits. Paul is also introduced to the Golden Dawn tangerine, a seedless, juicy variety developed by Luis, which is cold-resistant and valuable in Florida.
In Edward Bloor's novel Tangerine, the main character, Paul, visits Luis Cruz's family's tangerine grove and learns many things on that first visit.
Paul learns that Luis's family grows Cleopatra tangerines in their grove, and has sold the fruit to citrus packers and juice companies for forty-five years.
Next, Luis takes Paul to the nursery, where the family grows trees to sell to farmers. He learns that the trunk and roots of a tree are called the rough stock. Paul learns that the trees in the nursery all start out as rough lemon trees. Using the rough lemon tree, the family cuts a slit in a branch and inserts a bud. This bud will reproduce whatever type of citrus it is: orange, tangerine, lemon, lime, grapefruit. This makes it possible for different types of fruit to be growing on the same tree. Here is what Luis teaches Paul:
"'The new bud that we grafted onto the rootstock is called a scion. The word scion means, like, a child or descendent of the tree.
Luis pointed his arm back to the tall trees. 'Check this out: a scion can be any type of citrus that you want--orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime--and they can all be growing on the same tree at the same time! That means that on one little tree, you could have a branch of white grapefruit, kumquats, and a branch of green limes, like some kind of Frakenstein fruit tree, all stitched together.'"
Paul is also introduced to the Golden Dawn tangerine that Luis has developed. It is a seedless tangerine that is very juicy and resistant to cold snaps, making it very valuable to the part of Florida in which they are living. The Golden Dawn tangerine is the subject of Paul, Tino, Teresa and Henry D.'s science project.
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.