The Loquat is pictured to the left. It is in the family rosaceae. Other relatives in this family are apples, pears, strawberries, and peaches to name a few. The loquat is a larger tree than a kumquat which is in a completely different family discussed below. The loquat were once described on The Food Network's Chopped as if a mango and an apricot had a baby. I think this is pretty spot on. Some varieties of loquat are more tart like Yehuta while others are mostly sweet. Pros: you can freeze them and cook with them like a peach. Yummy. The tree is pretty low maintenance and is well suited for planting in most of Florida. Fertilize it in lower quantity but same frequency as other fruit bearing trees.
The large and sometimes glossy leaves of the Loquat make it increasingly popular in the landscape- even in medians. You may want to prune your loquat tree or it can exceed 20 feet. I find it to be a beautiful shade tree. We have at least 3 loquats on our property -we enjoy them so much. I think we have hit peak season on ours. Cons: The seed (which is easily removed) contains toxins like an apple seed. So please don't consume it. The peel is very thin and edible. One of my favorite trees for its beauty, production, flavor, and low maintenance.
The kumquat is a citrus relative. The tree is easily maintained under 10 feet even without pruning. I wish I had taken a picture of our nagami kumquat from a distance prior to any picking. It was stunning. The picture shown below is of the upper branches prior to full harvesting. Although they are almost over-ripe right now. The Nagami (oblong) pictured here is the same as our logo. It is the tart variety but is quite sweet this late in the season. Many people try peeling the kumquat and it should be eaten with the peel on or the flavor is going to be tart or bitter even if you are eating the sweeter variety called Meiwa (round). Peak season was Nov-Jan which is another difference between kumquat and loquat. Kumquats are popular to eat out of hand and people swear by the marmalades. There is a fellow that makes us some- and I am not a marmalade fan- but I must admit its quite tasty. I prefer loquats for out of hand eating because I have a sweet tooth. the kumquat is a beautiful tree in a smaller stature. For those that love citrus and are short on space or want to raise one in a pot- the kumquat is a great choice. Pro: Versatile fruit and one of the most cold hardy when it comes to citrus. Con: you have to like zest (because that is what it tastes like to me. Treat it like a citrus tree and its happy.
The large and sometimes glossy leaves of the Loquat make it increasingly popular in the landscape- even in medians. You may want to prune your loquat tree or it can exceed 20 feet. I find it to be a beautiful shade tree. We have at least 3 loquats on our property -we enjoy them so much. I think we have hit peak season on ours. Cons: The seed (which is easily removed) contains toxins like an apple seed. So please don't consume it. The peel is very thin and edible. One of my favorite trees for its beauty, production, flavor, and low maintenance.
The kumquat is a citrus relative. The tree is easily maintained under 10 feet even without pruning. I wish I had taken a picture of our nagami kumquat from a distance prior to any picking. It was stunning. The picture shown below is of the upper branches prior to full harvesting. Although they are almost over-ripe right now. The Nagami (oblong) pictured here is the same as our logo. It is the tart variety but is quite sweet this late in the season. Many people try peeling the kumquat and it should be eaten with the peel on or the flavor is going to be tart or bitter even if you are eating the sweeter variety called Meiwa (round). Peak season was Nov-Jan which is another difference between kumquat and loquat. Kumquats are popular to eat out of hand and people swear by the marmalades. There is a fellow that makes us some- and I am not a marmalade fan- but I must admit its quite tasty. I prefer loquats for out of hand eating because I have a sweet tooth. the kumquat is a beautiful tree in a smaller stature. For those that love citrus and are short on space or want to raise one in a pot- the kumquat is a great choice. Pro: Versatile fruit and one of the most cold hardy when it comes to citrus. Con: you have to like zest (because that is what it tastes like to me. Treat it like a citrus tree and its happy.
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