×
  • Home
  • Daily
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Guides
  • Cookbooks
    • Beverages
    • Bakery
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Soups
    • Entrées
    • Side Dishes & Sauces
    • Desserts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
  • Manage Account
  • Authors
  • Keyword Index
  • Join

Food Gardening Network

Growing Good Food at Home

Join
Mequoda Publishing Network
  • Daily
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Guides
  • Cookbooks
    • Beverages
    • Bakery
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Soups
    • Entrées
    • Side Dishes & Sauces
    • Desserts
  • Sign In
  • Search

Introduction to Kumquats

Gardening Guide: Crazy for Kumquats! Gardening Guide

arrow-left Previous
Next arrow-right

Introduction to Kumquats

Get a brief introduction to our Kumquat Collection, where you’ll learn some history about kumquats and get a helpful overview about growing your own kumquats.

By Norann Oleson

Kumquats are a delicious orange treat!

Kumquats are a delicious orange treat!

Kumquats—such adorable little gems; in Chinese, kumquat means “golden orange.” Sweet on the outside, tart on the inside, it’s the perfect-size fruit to pick fresh off the tree and pop into your mouth. You may have gotten them at the market, but there’s nothing to compare to the taste of a fresh kumquat warmed by the sun!

Kumquats are loosely considered to be part of the citrus family of fruits; that’s where you’re likely to find them at the market. They make great eating right off the tree; in marmalades, jams, and jellies; in salads and sandwiches; as pickles (yes, pickles!); in breads; baked into pies and cakes; even candied! You can even make a flavored vodka that will be ready in time for the weekend, for a fresh-flavored, fragrant martini. As an added bonus, most kumquats have very few seeds—from one to five—so they’re easy to prepare for whatever recipes you’re whipping up.

Kumquats are evergreen trees native to China and Japan; their leaves look more like those of deciduous trees, but these leaves don’t change color with the seasons. They can grow to a towering height of 15 feet! But not all kumquats grow that tall; some top off at 5 or 6 feet, making them a perfect candidate for container gardening.

These trees are easy to grow; all you need is full sun and well-drained soil. While kumquats are ideally suited for USDA plant hardiness zones 9 and 10, they can do well as container plants in cooler zones; in fact, they can handle winter temperatures as low as 15 degrees F!

With a little TLC, you can grow kumquats almost anywhere—as long as you have the right growing conditions, inside or out. Many gardeners in cooler zones move their kumquat trees outside for the warmer months and bring them back in when temperatures start to fall. So, if you love the taste of kumquats but haven’t tried growing your own tree yet, this could be the time!

All kumquats fall into these scientific hierarchy classifications:

Kingdom: Plantae (plants)

Subkingdom: Tracheobionta (vascular plants)

Superdivision: Spermatophyta (seed plants)

Division: Magnoliophyta (flowering plants)

Subdivision: Magnoliopsida (dicotyledons)

Order: Rosidae

Family: Rutaceae (rue family)

Genus: Fortunella Swingle (kumquat)

Species: four species in all:

    • Fortunella xcrassifolia Swingle (Meiwa kumquat)
    • Fortunella hindsii Swingle (Hong Kong wild kumquat)
    • Fortunella japonica Swingle (Marumi, or round kumquat)
    • Fortunella margarita Swingle (Nagami, or oval kumquat)

Now, not everyone agrees with this classification of the kumquat (who knew such a little fruit could be so controversial?)—whether it belongs in the genus Citrus, or whether it deserves its own genus. It acts like a citrus; it tastes like a citrus; but it doesn’t behave entirely like a citrus. And so you will find that many growers classify the kumquat as a citrus and not its own genus. Does it matter? It depends on how particular you want to be about your plant classification.

The USDA has declared the kumquat its own genus (Fortunella Swingle) in the family Rutaceae—which also includes our friends the citrus fruits. But you may see kumquats referred to as citrus (Citrus japonica instead of Fortunella japonica, for example). The cultivation requirements for kumquats and citrus are much the same, and kumquat trees are propagated by grafting cuttings onto citrus rootstock. So the only real argument might be who gets to pick the first fruits off the tree in your garden.

How to eat a kumquat
The sweetest part of the kumquat is the skin. It’s full of delicious essential oils that make the kumquat a fragrant, tasty treat. To get the most out of eating a kumquat, be sure to roll it between your fingers to start releasing the oil. Then, if it’s a smallish kumquat, pop it in your mouth and chew—really chew—to release more of the sweet essential oil to blend with the more tart-tasting flesh inside.

Find a seed? Spit it out; those aren’t really good to eat. And don’t bother saving it to plant later; kumquats don’t grow true to seed. Sure, they’ll grow, but who knows how they’ll grow? Plus, you’ll have to wait years to find out.

A Brief History of Kumquats

Many harvested kumquats

Many harvested kumquats

Kumquats are thought to have originated in China and southern Japan; an early reference to the tree in the 12th century called it a “gam kwat.” Kumquats are a sign of prosperity in China; people give them as gifts during the Chinese Lunar New Year.

In 1843, the Horticultural Society of London commissioned Scottish botanist Robert Fortune to go on a three-year plant collection expedition to southern China. Among the plants he returned with was the kumquat, then considered a citrus plant. But as Fortune introduced the kumquat to Europe and then America, it was reclassified with its own genus (conveniently named after him)—Fortunella.

In Dade City, Florida, the kumquat takes center stage every year for the Kumquat Festival. Thousands of people attend this free festival each year, where they get to sample kumquat pie and other kumquat delights. The festival promises family fun with an “old Florida” feel to celebrate the “little gold gems of the citrus industry.”

Have you ever been to the Kumquat Festival in Dade City, Florida? Please tell us about the unique ways you celebrate kumquats!

arrow-left Previous
Next arrow-right
Comments

Click here to cancel reply.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Curator’s Corner
  • Introduction
  • Feature Articles

  • Types of Kumquat Trees
  • Choosing to Grow Kumquats from Seeds, Cuttings, or Young Trees
  • Growing Kumquats in Open Land, in Raised Beds, or in Containers
  • Starting with the Right Soil for Your Kumquat Plants
  • Planting and Pruning Kumquats
  • The Right Sunlight for Your Kumquat Plants
  • Should You Fertilize Your Kumquat Trees?
  • How—and When—to Water Your Kumquat Plants
  • How to Spot, Treat, and Prevent Kumquat Tree Diseases
  • What to Do About Pests that Can Harm Your Kumquat Trees
  • The Right Way to Weed Around Your Kumquat Trees
  • Harvesting, Storing, and Preserving Your Kumquats
  • Essential Tools and Equipment for Growing Kumquats
  • Plant Profiles

  • Hong Kong Kumquat
  • Nordmann Seedless Kumquat
  • Centennial Variegated Kumquats
  • Meiwa Kumquats
  • Chang-Shou/Fukushu Kumquat
  • Marumi Kumquat
  • Nagami Kumquat
  • Recipes

  • Kumquats Preserved in Honey
  • Kumquat Quinoa Bowl
  • Kumquat Scones
  • Candied Kumquats
  • Kumquat Tea
  • Baked Salmon with Kumquats
  • Additional Articles

  • Nutrition Facts about Kumquats
  • Home Remedies & Health Benefits of Kumquats
  • Resources about Kumquats
  • Kumquats Glossary
  • Related Articles

  • How to Grow a Kumquat Tree Indoors

Enter Your Log In Credentials

This setting should only be used on your home or work computer.

  • Lost your password? Create New Password
  • No account? Sign up

Need Assistance?

Call Food Gardening Network Customer Service at
(800) 777-2658

Food Gardening Network is an active member of the following industry associations:

  • American Horticultural Society
  • GardenComm Logo
  • MCMA logo
  • Renewd logo
  • Manage Account
  • Join
  • About Food Gardening Network
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Food Gardening Network
99 Derby Street, Suite 200
Hingham, MA 02043
support@foodgardening.mequoda.com

FREE E-Newsletter for You!

Discover how to grow, harvest, and eat good food from your own garden—with our FREE e-newsletter, delivered directly to your email inbox.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Powered by
Mequoda Publishing Network
copyright © 2023 Mequoda Systems, LLC

Food Gardening Network® and Food Gardening Magazine® are registered trademarks of Mequoda Systems, LLC.