According to genetic studies, the mandarin was one of the original citrus species; through breeding or natural hybridization, it is the ancestor of many hybrid citrus cultivars. With the citron and pomelo, it is the ancestor of the most commercially important hybrids (such as sweet and sour oranges, grapefruit, and many lemons and limes). The mandarin has also been hybridized with other citrus species, such as the desert lime and the kumquat. Though the ancestral mandarin was bitter, most commercial mandarin strains derive from hybridization with pomelo, which give them a sweet fruit.
Mandarin Oil Red (aromatherapy)
“Mandarin Peel Oil is an orange-brown to dark yellowish-brown or olive-brown mobile liquid of intensely sweet, not very fresh odor, occasionally with an amine-like, “fishy” topnote and usually with a rich neroli-like, floral undertone.”
Arctander, Steffen . Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin (p. 459).