Kumquat

Species of small fruit-bearing tree

Kumquat
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Rutaceae
Genus:	Citrus
Informal group:	Kumquats

Kumquat
Hanyu Pinyin		jīnjú
Wade–Giles	chin1-chü2
IPA	[tɕín.tɕy̌]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization	gāmgwāt
Jyutping	gam1-gwat1
IPA	[kɐm˥.kʷɐt̚˥]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ	kim-kiat

Vietnamese nameVietnamesekim quấtThai nameThaiส้มจี๊ดRTGSsomchídKorean nameHangul금귤Hanja金橘

Transcriptions
Revised Romanization	geumgyul

Japanese nameKanji金柑

Transcriptions
Romanization	kinkan

Nepali nameNepali

The edible fruit closely resembles the orange (Citrus sinensis) in color, texture, and anatomy, but is much smaller, being approximately the size of a large olive. The kumquat is a fairly cold-hardy citrus.

Etymology

The English word kumquat is a borrowing of the Cantonese gām gwāt (IPA: [kɐ́m kʷɐ́t̚]; Chinese: 金橘), from gām "golden" + gwāt "orange".^[2]

Description

Kumquat plants have thornless branches and extremely glossy

Citrus taxonomy is complicated and controversial. Different systems place various types of kumquats in different species or unite them into as few as two species. Botanically, many of the varieties of kumquats are classified as their own species, rather than a cultivar.^{[citation needed]} Historically they were viewed as falling within the genus Citrus, but the Swingle system of citrus taxonomy elevated them to their own genus, Fortunella. Recent phylogenetic analysis suggests they do fall within Citrus. Swingle divided the kumquats into two subgenera, the Protocitrus, containing the primitive Hong Kong kumquat, and Eufortunella, comprising the round, oval kumquat, Meiwa kumquats,^[5] to which Tanaka added two others, the Malayan kumquat and the Jiangsu kumquat. Chromosomal analysis suggested that Swingle's Eufortunella represent a single 'true' species, while Tanaka's additional species were revealed to be likely hybrids of Fortunella with other Citrus, so-called xCitrofortunella.^[6]

One recent genomic analysis concluded there was only one true species of kumquat, but the analysis did not include the Hong Kong variety seen as a distinct species in all earlier analyses.^[7] A 2020 review concluded that genomic data were insufficient to reach a definitive conclusion on which kumquat cultivars represented distinct species.^[8] In 2022, a genome-level analysis of cultivated and wild varieties drew several conclusions. The authors found support for the division of kumquats into subgenera: Protocitrus, for the wild Hong Kong variety, and Eufortunella for the cultivated varieties, with a divergence predating the end of the Quaternary glaciation, perhaps between two ancestral populations isolated south and north, respectively, of the Nanling mountain range. Within the latter group, the oval, round and Meiwa kumquat each showed a level of divergence greater than between other recognized citrus species, such as between pomelo and citron, and hence each merits species-level classification. Though Swingle had speculated that the Meiwa kumquat was a hybrid of oval and round kumquats, the genomic analysis suggested instead that the round kumquat was an oval/Meiwa hybrid.^[9]

Kumquat species

Image	Scientific name	Common name	Distribution
	Citrus hindsii	Hong Kong kumquat	China
	Citrus crassifolia	Meiwa kumquat	China, Japan
	Citrus margarita	oval kumquat, Nagami kumquat	Japan
	Citrus japonica	round kumquat, Marumi kumquat, Morgani kumquat	China, Japan
	Citrus obovata	Jiangsu kumquat, Fukushu kumquat	China, Japan
	Citrus swinglei	Malayan kumquat	Malay Peninsula

Hybrids

• Calamansi: mandarin orange x kumquat^[10]
• Citrangequat: citrange x kumquat
• Limequat: key lime x kumquat
• Satsuma mandarin
  x kumquat
• Procimequat: limequat x kumquat
• Sunquat: Meyer lemon (?) x kumquat
• Yuzuquat: yuzu x kumquat

Distribution and habitat

The kumquat plant is native to Southern

Kumquats are much hardier than citrus plants such as oranges. Sowing seed in the spring is most ideal because the temperature is pleasant with more chances of rain and sunshine. This also gives the tree enough time to become well established before winter. Early spring is the best time to transplant a sapling. They do best in direct sunlight (needing 6–7 hours a day) and planted directly in the ground. Kumquats do well in USDA hardy zones 9 and 10 and can survive in temperatures as low as 18 degrees F (-7 degrees C). On trees mature enough, kumquats will form in about 90 days.

In cultivation in the UK, Citrus japonica has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit^[14] (confirmed 2017).^[15]

Propagation

Kumquats do not grow well from seeds and so are

The Nordmann seedless is a seedless cultivar of the Nagami kumquat (Citrus margarita). It is similar to Nagami but with a slightly different shape and lighter skin.^[16]

The Centennial Variegated is another cultivar of the Nagami kumquat. It originated from the open pollination of a Nagami kumquat tree. The fruits are striped light green and yellow when underripe, and turn orange and lose their stripes when they ripen. They are oval-shaped, necked, 2.5 inches long and have a smooth rind. They mature in winter.^[17] This cultivar arose spontaneously from the oval kumquat (Citrus margarita). It produces a greater proportion of fruit to peel than the oval kumquat, and the fruit are rounder and sometimes necked. Fruit are distinguishable by their variegation in color, exhibiting bright green and yellow stripes,^[11] and by its lack of thorns.

The Puchimaru kumquat is a seedless or virtually seedless Japanese kumquat cultivar. It is resistant to citrus canker and citrus scab. The fruit weighs 11–20 grams and is ellipsoid in shape. It has a dark orange rind which is 4 millimeters thick. The juice content is relatively low. The oil glands are somewhat large and conspicuous. It ripens in January.^[18]

Uses

Nutrition

Kumquats, raw
Fortunella spp.

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	296 kJ (71 kcal)
Carbohydrates	15.9 g
Sugars	9.36 g
Dietary fiber	6.5 g
Fat	0.86 g
Protein	1.88 g
Niacin (B3)	3% 0.429 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)	4% 0.208 mg
Vitamin B6	2% 0.036 mg
Folate (B9)	4% 17 μg
Choline	2% 8.4 mg
Vitamin C	49% 43.9 mg
Vitamin E	1% 0.15 mg
Minerals	Quantity %DV†
Calcium	5% 62 mg
Iron	5% 0.86 mg
Magnesium	5% 20 mg
Manganese	6% 0.135 mg
Phosphorus	2% 19 mg
Potassium	6% 186 mg
Sodium	0% 10 mg
Zinc	2% 0.17 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Water	82 g
Link to USDA Database entry
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[19] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[20]

A raw kumquat is 81% water, 16%

• 
  Kumquat flower
• 
  Kumquat fruit cross-section
• 
  Kumquat whole and sectioned
• 
  Round kumquats (or citrofortunella)
• 
  Round kumquats (or citrofortunella)
• 
  Kumquat liqueurs from Corfu, Greece
• 
  Potted kumquat trees at a kumquat liqueur distillery in Corfu.
• 
  Slices of kumquat pie at the

  Dade City

  , Florida
• 
  Kumquat

  preserves
• 
  Flowers and fruit
• 
  Kumquat tree
• 
  Unripe kumquat
• 
  Ripened kumquat
• 
  Kumquat

See also

• Kumquat Festival
• Sunquat
• Limequat
• Citrofortunella
• Calamansi
• Yuzuquat

References

Further reading

• Burkill, I. H. (1931). "An enumeration of the species of Paramignya, Atalantia and Citrus, found in Malaya". Gard. Bull. Straits Settlem. 5: 212–220.
• Mabberley, D. J. (1998). "Australian Citreae with notes on other Aurantioideae (Rutaceae)" (PDF). Telopea 7 (4): 333–344.

External links

Look up kumquat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kumquat.

Wikispecies has information related to Fortunella.