Plant guide
Sweet orange
Citrus × sinensis
Sweet orange leaves and peel can cause digestive upset or skin irritation in cats. Keep cats from chewing the tree or fallen peel; edible fruit for people does not make the whole plant cat-safe.
What this guide covers: Citrus × sinensis only. Check the botanical name; a photo cannot establish the identity of your plant.
Photo:
Photo details
Citrus × sinensis — Leaves and fruits
By Emőke Dénes
License: CC BY-SA 2.5
Resized and converted to WebP for display; botanical details unchanged.
This displayed image is shared under the same CC BY-SA 2.5 license.
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Photo:
Photo details
Citrus × sinensis — Leaves and fruits
By Emőke Dénes
License: CC BY-SA 2.5
Resized and converted to WebP for display; botanical details unchanged.
This displayed image is shared under the same CC BY-SA 2.5 license.
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Keep away from cats. We do not recommend this plant for a home where cats could reach it.
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Look for Citrus × sinensis and check the selected variety. Listings and availability can change.
Plant identity
- Scientific name
- Citrus × sinensis
- Scope
- Species
- Family
- Not recorded
- Also known as
- No reviewed aliases available
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How to grow this plant
Citrus × sinensis only. Check the botanical name; a photo cannot establish the identity of your plant.
- Light
- Sunny position
Direct sun.
- Watering
Keep soil moist without overwatering; established trees tolerate some drought.
- Temperature
- Temperature range not yet established
Frost tender; overwinter containers indoors in cold climates. No preferred range proposed.
- Humidity
No specific humidity target established.
- Potting
- Well-drained soil; slightly acidic conditions are preferred.
- Through the year
- Prune after fruit ripens and avoid disturbing roots when moving to a larger container.
Growing-guide sources
- Citrus × sinensis ↗NC State Extension · Accessed 2026-10-16
Citrus × sinensis only. Check the botanical name; a photo cannot establish the identity of your plant.
Growing advice reviewed 2026-10-17. Plant safety is assessed separately.
Reviewed safety information
- Toxic principle
- Not recorded in the reviewed evidence
- Reported signs
- Not recorded in the reviewed evidence
- Severity
- Severity not established
Missing information is unknown. It should not be interpreted as an absence of risk.
Safe alternatives
No verified alternative recommendations are available for this guide.
Sources & review
- Sweet orange: source assessment ↗ASPCA · Accessed
Listed by the source as Citrus sinensis. ASPCA names Citrus sinensis; NC State identifies it as the sweet-orange hybrid Citrus × sinensis. The hybrid marker does not broaden the taxon. Retain the source distinction between edible fruit and problem plant material; this is not feeding advice.
- Citrus × sinensis ↗NC State Extension · Accessed 2026-10-16
- Sweet orange: source assessment ↗ASPCA · Accessed 2026-10-16
Safety last reviewed .