Shrubs belonging to the Philadelphus genus are called Mock Orange in America. Why? Philadelphus species have nothing orange about them, nor do they bear a fruit with any resemblance to oranges. Their bark, leaves or flowers are unlike orange’s respective parts (well, both have white flowers, like scores of other trees and shrubs, but they don’t look the same). How did the white settlers of the West come up with a name like Mock Orange?
The smell! They smell just like orange blossoms, just intoxicating! The one in my backyard has just finished blooming, but I just stick my nose in it and inhale. It’s enough to knock one over. Heavenly.
The blossom is reminiscent of orange blossom - or at least, the scent of it is - and the appearance only superficially. Not by any means an exact replica, but I believe that’s the reasoning behind the name.
OED gives the etymology thus:
(The ‘sense 2’ referred to is “U.S. regional. Any of various plants with fruits resembling the orange; esp. the Missouri gourd, Cucurbita foetidissima.”, sense 1 being the one in the OP).
When I was growing up, we had one in our backyard and my aunt called it a “double mock orange.” I don’t know if that referred to the size of the blossoms or what. It never produced any fruit (didn’t know it was supposed to, but maybe we’re in the wrong zone) and eventually got cut down, and it was replaced year before last. Our new tree is almost shoulder-high and flowers in late May. It does not produce any fruit either. But the fragrance is terrific.
There’s another plant (Choisya) that has the common name ‘Mexican Orange Blossom’ - the plant visually resembles orange in flower and leavf, but not in scent and fruit - I mention it only because it sometimes mistakenly gets called ‘mock orange’
Thanks for the replies! So it is the white, sweet-smelling flowers behind the name. I’ve plenty of Philadelphus here to look, feel and smell but I’ve never been next to a citrus tree.
Common plant names can really be confusing, with the same name on several different, unrelated species or a bunch of different names on the same plant. Also, all the “pines”, “ashes”, “cedars” et al that aren’t. Thank Og for Latin names!
Botanical names, to be more accurate. Especially considering that the genus name in the OP, Philadelphus, comes from the Greek…
Did it have more than one row of petals on the blossoms? That’s usually what “double” means in the common names of plants.
Never noticed. That’s just what she called it. I figured they were all called that. I later learned about double tulips and the like.
Philadelphus is nice - Citrus blossom is nicer, IMO. I can sometimes be found at Kew, standing motionless with my nose against a lemon blossom.