Fortunella japonica
Round Kumquat
a perennial woody evergreen member of the Fortunella genus in the family Rutaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Rutaceae
- Genus
- Fortunella
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Foliage
- evergreen
- Woodiness
- woody
- Height
- 2.5 m
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Fruit - usually cooked and used in jellies, preserves etc[3] or used as a flavouring, but it can also be eaten raw. The whole fruit, including the peel, is eaten[9][1]. The fruit is acid whilst the peel is sweet[9][1]. The peel is golden-yellow, smooth, thinner and somewhat sweeter than the oval kumquat, F. margarita[3]. The fruit is rich in pectin and makes excellent marmalades and jellies[6]. Vitamin C content is up to 0.24 mg/cc[6]. The fruit is about 4cm long[7].
- Plant part
- Fruit
- Product or use
- Pectin
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The plant is antiphlogistic, antivinous, carminative, deodorant, stimulant[2][5].
- Product or use
- Antiphlogistic
- Product or use
- Antivinous
- Product or use
- Carminative
- Product or use
- Deodorant
- Product or use
- Stimulant
Material uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The fresh leaves and young twigs yield 0.21% essential oil that might be suitable for perfumery[6].
- Product or use
- Essential
Environment
- Range
- E. Asia - China, Japan.
- Habitat
- Not known in a truly wild situation[1].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 9+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a warm airy position in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick out the seedlings into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first two winters. Plant out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts and give some winter protection from the cold for a year or two.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Prefers a moderately heavy loam with a generous amount of compost and sand added and a very sunny position[4]. Prefers a pH of 5 to 6[4]. Plants are intolerant of water logging[4]. This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, when dormant it tolerates temperatures down to about -5°c[4]. The young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun[K]. Kumquats are widely cultivated in China for their edible fruit, there are many named varieties[9]. The plant is less vigorous, somewhat thorny and considerably more cold tolerant[3] (the report gives no details of what this is in comparison to!). Kumquats are hardier than the various Citrus species since they cease growth when temperatures drop below 13°c but, for best results, it is best to grow them in a climate where temperatures do not fall lower than between 4 and 10°c[9]. This is because the fruit is sweeter when it ripens in warm conditions[9].
References
Bianchini. F., Corbetta. F. and Pistoia. M. Fruits of the Earth.
Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00
Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Flora of Japan www.foj.info
Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7