Edible Plants of the World

Kumquat, Oval kumquat

It suits subtropical locations. It grows from sea level to at least 1150 m altitude in the tropics. It is cold tolerant. When dormant it can stand frosts, but not when in leaf. It cannot tolerate drought. It prefers well drained soils in an open sunny position. They cannot stand water-logging. They do best with a pH of 5 to 6. They cease growth when temperatures fall below 13°C. It suits hardiness zones 9-10.

Also known as:

Chantu, Chu tsu, Geumgam, Jin Ju, Nagami, Nagamil kumquat, Shan Kam Kit Tsz

Synonyms

Edible Portion

Where does Kumquat grow?

Found in: Africa, Asia, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Cameroon, Central Africa, China, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Israel, Japan, Morocco, North Africa, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, South America, Suriname, Taiwan, United States, Vietnam

Notes: Fruit (Dry weight) Water: 0 Calories: 356 Protein: 5.2 Fat: 2.5 Carbohydrate: 89 Fibre: 10 Ash: 3.3 Calcium: 240 Phosphorus: 300 Iron: 5.5 Sodium: 835 Potassium: 1172 Vitamin A: 1000 Thiamine: 0.74 Riboflavin: 0.4 Niacin: 4.2 Vitamin C: 305 Source: [218] Notes: The figures given here are the median of a range given in the report. The Fortunella's will probably be renamed Citrus. There are 5 Fortunella species.

Status: It is a cultivated food plant. Occasionally grown in Papua New Guinea. These plants have been hybridised to give limequats and orangequats.

Growing Kumquat, Oval kumquat

Cultivation: Plants are grown from seeds or by grafting. They can also be grown from cuttings. Seed need to be sown fresh. Plants can be trimmed as a hedge.

Edible Uses: The ripe fruit can be eaten fresh, skin and all. (The seeds are removed) The fruit are often pickled or used in jam. They are preserved in syrup and pickled in vinegar. They are made into marmalade, sauces and jellies.

Production: Fruiting is seasonal. The season tends to be December to May in the southern hemisphere. The fruit improve in flavour if allowed to stay on the tree after ripening.

Nutrition Info

per 100g edible portion

Edible Part Energy (kcal) Protein (g) Iron (mg) Vitamin A (ug) Vitamin c (mg) Zinc (mg) % Water
- - - - - -

References

Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 1947

Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 227

Arora, R. K., 2014, Diversity in Underutilized Plant Species - An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Bioversity International. p 72 (As Fortunella margarita)

Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 477

Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 383 (As Citrus japonica)

Elevitch, C.R.(ed.), 2006, Traditional Trees of the Pacific Islands: Their Culture, Environment and Use. Permanent Agriculture Resources, Holualoa, Hawaii. p 265

Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 220

French, B.R., 1986, Food Plants of Papua New Guinea, A Compendium. Asia Pacific Science Foundation p 292

Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 103

Hu, Shiu-ying, 2005, Food Plants of China. The Chinese University Press. p 501

Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 138

John, L., & Stevenson, V., 1979, The Complete Book of Fruit. Angus & Robertson p 169

J. Wash. Acad. Sci. 5:167, 170. 1915

Kiple, K.F. & Ornelas, K.C., (eds), 2000, The Cambridge World History of Food. CUP p 1798

Lazarides, M. & Hince, B., 1993, Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia, CSIRO. p 116

Little, E. L., et al, 1974, Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. USDA Handbook 449. Forestry Service. p 326 (As Fortunella margarita)

Lorenzi, H., Bacher, L., Lacerda, M. & Sartori, S., 2006, Brazilian Fruits & Cultivated Exotics. Sao Paulo, Instituto Plantarum de Estuados da Flora Ltda. p 599

Lyle, S., 2006, Discovering fruit and nuts. Land Links. p 213

Morton, J. F., 1987, Fruits of Warm Climates. Wipf & Stock Publishers p 183

Mulherin, J., 1994, Spices and natural flavourings. Tiger Books, London. p 107

Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South East Asia) handbook, Volume 2, 1991, Edible fruits and nut. p 169

Purseglove, J.W., 1968, Tropical Crops Dicotyledons, Longmans. p 494

Seidemann J., 2005, World Spice Plants. Economic Usage, Botany, Taxonomy. Springer. p 158 (As Fortunella)

Song, M., et al, 2013, Traditional knowledge of wild edible plants in Jeju Island, Korea. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 12(2) pp 177-194 (As Fortunella)

Staples, G.W. and Herbst, D.R., 2005, A tropical Garden Flora. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. p 507 (Drawing)

USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN). [Online Database] National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Available: www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/econ.pl (10 April 2000)

Valder, P., 1999, The Garden Plants of China. Florilegium. p 251

van Wyk, B., 2005, Food Plants of the World. An illustrated guide. Timber press. p 197