[neilep (OP)]

Dearest Segment Pip Pros,

At this time I felt it best to ask about why do some of the segments of this:

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Have pips (or a single pip)in em ?..... whereas the others do not ?

why's that then ?

I just have to know !!

[Karen W.]

Certain varieties of oranges usually produce certain amounts of seeds. Any where from 2 to 6 per segment. Some may be hit and miss and perhaps only 8 to ten per orange. Other oranges can have between 6 to 12 segments depending on the varieties such as:

HAMLIN: has few seeds and is popular and hearty cold survivor from Florida. 

DREAM NAVEL: has about 9 to 12 segments that has few if any seeds or pips, and a lighter color skin.

BAHAI NAVEL UNION: Has segments and is often seedless, but not always.

BARNA: Has 10 to 12 segments also but is virtually seedless! Making it a very popular orange.

There are many many many many varieties of oranges.

A little history;

Pip-less oranges are a naturally occurring thing. Something I learned cross breeding lilies and grafting in the lily lab, I learned about how seedless oranges come from other seedless oranges, such as the orange most of us know as the "navel" orange originated I believe in Brazil on a plantation long ago..

Actually here where I live we mostly see Navel and sunkist oranges. Both seedless varieties.

As I understand it something happened in its development over the years over the generations that changed its genes and produced a seedless orange. So most of your navel, well all of your navel oranges come from those original trees that parented the first pip-less trees, all those years ago. Something had changed,like changed the genetic structure and thus that is where they come from. The problem with this is when a new change like this occurs, or takes place an Orange as such will be sterile and will not survive without the intervention of man. This is much like my lily cross breeding. we took and accidental flower that had genetically mutated and because it would never reproduce on its own we crossed it with another variety to incorporate some of its new qualities into the new lily as would be done with an orange to reproduce the same characteristics again with a reproducing orange, that is not sterile! This occurs through grafting, and this requires human intervention, so this could not have happened on its own. So genetic engineering then steps in. Normally the tree would die.

As far as seeds they very with variety and I am not sure exactly why ONE orange may have 8 segments  and each segment may have different numbers of seeds.. I am not sure. Any way that is what I know..