What kind of fruit is a kumquat exactly?
Kumquat: The word KUMQUAT is Chinese for “Gold Orange” because of the color of the fruit. Kumquats have been called “the little gold gems of the citrus family”. They are believed to be native to China and were included in the genus Citrus until about 1915 when Dr. Walter T. Swingle set them apart in the genus Fortunella. (in honor of the British horticulturist, Robert Fortune who introduced the kumquat to Europe in 1846). “Cumquat” is the common British spelling of the name for the fruit. There are four varieties (species) of kumquats. They are the Hong Kong Wild (Fortunella hindsii), Marumi (Fortunella japonica), Meiwa (Fortunella crassifolia), and Nagami (Fortunella margarita). The two most common species of kumquats grown in the United States are the ‘Nagami’ and the ‘Meiwa’. Kumquats have a very distinctive taste. It is the only citrus fruit that can be eaten “skin and all.” The peel is the sweetest part and can be eaten separately. The pulp contains the seeds and juice, which is s
The kumquats or cumquats are a group of small fruit-bearing trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, in the genus Fortunella which may be included in Citrus as it is often done. The edible fruit closely resembles that of the orange (Citrus sinensis) but is smaller and is often oval. They are slow-growing, evergreen shrubs or short trees, from 2.5 to 4.5 metres (8 to 15 ft) tall, with dense branches, sometimes bearing small thorns. The leaves are dark glossy green, and the flowers pure white, similar to other citrus flowers, borne singly or clustered in the leaf-axils. The kumquat tree produces 80 to 100 fruit each year. The tree can be hydrophytic, and fruit is often found floating near the shore during the kumquat season. Kumquats originated in China (they are noted in literature dating to the 12th century), and have long been cultivated there and in Japan. They were introduced to Europe in 1846 by Robert Fortune, collector for the London Horticultural Society, and shortly therea
