Citrus margarita

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Citrus margarita
4-3-fortunella margarita 21.jpg
Fruit
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Citrus
Species:
C. margarita
Binomial name
Citrus margarita
(Lour.) Swingle, 1915 [1] [2] [3]
Synonyms
  • Fortunella margarita

Citrus margarita, the oval kumquat [4] or Nagami kumquat, [5] [6] is a species of kumquat; [1] a type of citrus fruit in the genus Citrus , family Rutaceae. [7] Its epithet, margarita, is Latin for pearly. [8]

Contents

It is first described by the Portuguese botanist João de Loureiro in 1790, in his Flora cochinchinensis under the name Citrus margarita. [7] [9] It is described again by the American botanist Walter Tennyson Swingle in 1915, as varieties of Citrus japonica . [10] However, recent phylogenetic analysis suggested that C. margarita is a single 'true' species. [1] [2] [7] [11]

Description

C. margarita grows 8–12 ft (2.4–3.7 m) tall. The branches have few, to no spines. [12]

It has simple, alternate leaves, which are dark green above, and pale below and have a leathery texture. They are lanceolate (narrow) with an obtuse tip. [4] They grow to up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long, and 3–4.5 cm (1.2–1.8 in) wide. The axillary flowers are white with 5 sepals and 5 petals and 16-20 stamens. They can be single or in clusters, and have persistent styles, and deep seated oil glands. The ovaries are made of 4-5 cells. [13] The peduncles are 3–5 millimetres (0.12–0.20 in). The clavate stigma is hollow and enlarged at the top. [14]

The fruits of C. margarita are oblong, measuring 3 cm × 4 cm (1.2 in × 1.6 in), and have orange peels and flesh. [8] They mature in late winter and have 4-5 segments each. [15] The peel is 2 mm (0.079 in) and sweet, with conspicuous oil cells. The flesh is sour, with spindle-shaped juice vesicles. [13] [16] Each fruit has 2-5 green monoembryonic seeds that need to be removed before consumption. [12] [17] Its cotyledons are light green. [13]

Distribution and Habitat

C. margarita is native to southeast China. [18] It is cultivated in Central and South America, Sicily, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Hawaii and Malaysia. [19] It was introduced to Florida in 1885 from Japan, where it became the most commonly cultivated variety of kumquat. [17] It does best in temperatures of 25–30 °C (77–86 °F) in the summer, and is frost-tolerant, withstanding temperatures as low as −8 °C (18 °F). It prefers full sun, however it can tolerate light shade. It does poorly in soils that are water-logged or rich with calcium carbonate, preferring well-drained soils with a pH of 6-6.5. [12]

Ecology

C. margarita are relatively cold-hardy, due to their ability to become semi-dormant between late fall and early spring. [5] It flowers in the summer, and its fruits mature in late winter. [20]

Cultivation

Occasionally, the oval kumquat is grafted on the calamondin. [12]

Use

The fruits of C. margarita can be eaten fresh, pickled, preserved in syrup or made into jam. [21] If macerated in vodka or another clear spirit, they can be made into liqueur. They are often added to hot or iced tea in the Philippines.. [12] The tree is often planted as an ornamental tree. [13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Fortunella margarita (Lour.) Swingle". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  2. 1 2 Swingle, Walter T. (1915). "A new genus, Fortunella, comprising four species of kumquat oranges". Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences. 5 (5): 168–169. JSTOR   24520657.
  3. ↑ "Citrus japonica var. margarita". National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
  4. 1 2 Griffiths, Mark (1994). Index of garden plants. Royal Horticultural Society (Great Britain). Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. p. 478. ISBN   978-0-88192-246-2.
  5. 1 2 "Nagami kumquat (CRC 3877)". Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection at UCR. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  6. ↑ "Fortunella margarita (Lour.) Swingle, Nagami kumquat (World flora)". Pl@ntNet. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  7. 1 2 3 "Citrus margarita Lour.". Tropicos . Missouri Botanical Garden.
  8. 1 2 Small, Ernest (2011). Top 100 Exotic Food Plants. CRC Press. pp. 339–340. ISBN   9781439856888.
  9. ↑ "Citrus margarita Lour". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
  10. ↑ "Fortunella margarita (Lour.) Swingle". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
  11. ↑ Yasuda, Kiichi; Yahata, Masaki; Kunitake, Hisato (2015). "Phylogeny and Classification of Kumquats (Fortunella spp.) Inferred from CMA Karyotype Composition". The Horticultural Journal. 85 (2): 115–121. doi: 10.2503/hortj.MI-078 .
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Lim, Tong Kwee. Edible medicinal and non-medicinal plants. Dordrecht New York: Springer. pp. 654–655. ISBN   978-90-481-8661-7.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Handbook On Citrus Fruits Cultivation And Oil Extraction. NIIR Project Consultancy Services. October 2009. p. 22. ISBN   9788178331256.
  14. ↑ Shaw, J. M. H. (2011). Cubey, H. Suzanne; Cullen, James; Knees, Sabina G. (eds.). The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants; A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass. Cambridge University Press. pp. 513–514. ISBN   9780521761550.
  15. ↑ Khan, Iqrar Ahmad; Khan, Muhammad Sarwar (2021). Citrus; Research, Development and Biotechnology. IntechOpen. p. 34. ISBN   9781839687235.
  16. ↑ Harrison, Marie (2009). Flowering Shrubs and Small Trees for the South. Pineapple Press. p. 32. ISBN   9781561644391.
  17. 1 2 Harris, Joy Sheffield (2017). Florida sweets: key lime pie, kumquat cake & citrus candy. Charleston, SC: American Palate. p. 32. ISBN   978-1-4671-3765-2.
  18. ↑ Wiersema, John H.; León, Blanca (2016). World Economic Plants (2nd ed.). CRC Press. p. 309. ISBN   9781466576810.
  19. ↑ Seidemann, Johannes (2005). World Spice Plants; Economic Usage, Botany, Taxonomy. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 159. ISBN   9783540279082.
  20. ↑ Ferguson, Louise; Grafton-Cardwell, Elizabeth Elliot (2014). Citrus production manual (1st ed.). Oakland, California: University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources. p. 90. ISBN   978-1-60107-840-7.
  21. ↑ Facciola, Stephen (1992). Cornucopia: a source book of edible plants (2. print ed.). Vista: Kampong Publ. p. 194. ISBN   978-0-9628087-0-8.


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