Citrus Species, Meiwa Kumquat, Sweet Kumquat, Sweet Kinkan
Citrus japonica
| Family: | Rutaceae (roo-TAY-see-ee) (Info) |
| Genus: | Citrus (SIT-rus) (Info) |
| Species: | japonica (juh-PON-ih-kuh) (Info) |
| Synonym: | Citrus hindsii |
| Synonym: | Fortunella crassifolia |
| Synonym: | Fortunella hindsii |
| Synonym: | Fortunella japonica |
| Synonym: | Fortunella obovata |
View this plant in a gardenCategory:
Edible Fruits and Nuts
Trees
Tropicals and Tender Perennials
Water Requirements:
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
Foliage:
Grown for foliage
Evergreen
Smooth
Textured
Foliage Color:
Height:
10-12 ft. (3-3.6 m)
12-15 ft. (3.6-4.7 m)
Spacing:
8-10 ft. (2.4-3 m)
Hardiness:
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)
Where to Grow:
Suitable for growing in containers
Danger:
Bloom Color:
White/Near White
Inconspicuous/none
Bloom Characteristics:
Flowers are fragrant
Bloom Size:
Bloom Time:
Mid Summer
Late Summer/Early Fall
Other details:
Soil pH requirements:
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
Patent Information:
Non-patented
Propagation Methods:
By grafting
By budding
Seed Collecting:
N/A: plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from seed
Regional
This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:
Loxley, Alabama
Mesa, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona(2 reports)
Scottsdale, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona(2 reports)
Garden Grove, California
Long Beach, California
Oceanside, California
Dade City, Florida
Hollywood, Florida
Key West, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Rockledge, Florida
Titusville, Florida
Brunswick, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Marrero, Louisiana
Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Houston, Texas(5 reports)
Manvel, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
Waco, Texas
show allGardeners' Notes:
| Rating | Content |
|---|---|
| Positive | On Feb 18, 2020, sandyaz15 from Scottsdale, AZ wrote: I planted 2 kumquats trees 3 years ago which I purchased at a local nursery in the Phoenix area. Our summers are very hot here in Scottsdale/Phoenix area, so I knew these probably couldn’t take the direct afternoon sun. They are planted in an area that gets morning sun until 1:00 pm, but are shaded all afternoon. I did not fertilize the trees in the first 2 years. In the 3rd year, I fertilized them with citrus pellet fertilizer in Spring, late May and mid-summer. The first 2 years after planting, we had a small amount of fruit. This winter after the fertilization, we had 4-5 times the amount of fruit. Now in February, I noticed I have new green fruit that is starting to turn orange, a 2nd growth of fruit. There was a 2nd set of blossoms on the trees last fall, so this must be the fru... read more |
| Positive | On Mar 4, 2016, cardoons from Longmeadow, MA wrote: We have this growing in a small clay pot in Massachusetts. It lives outside during three seasons, and winters in a heated sunroom, tolerating low 50's in winter. It fruited strongly in our second year of ownership. It appears to be grafted onto a Poncirus trifoliata rootstock, based on the leaf of a trunk sucker. |
| Positive | On Mar 17, 2015, poeciliopsis from Phoenix, AZ wrote: Central Phoenix -- We have had better luck with Meiwa kumquat as a pot plant than with other citrus, including Nagami kumquat and limequat, both of which did not survive. The small leaves and small fruit of the Meiwa make it good for a potted plant. We have had ours for 2 1/2 years and it is doing well and bears strongly. It is in a relatively harsh location, against an east-facing brick wall with a lot of morning and noontime summer sun but afternoon shade. We give it a winter cover and does fine. |
| Neutral | On Mar 28, 2013, BecwarGardeners from Manvel, TX wrote: We purchased one of these almost 2 years ago now. It's slightly taller than it was and produced far less this last round than the one before. We have an almost 3 year old who really enjoyed picking the fruit and in the process, tearing off parts of the plant. Amazingly, it has survived nonetheless. I'm not entirely certain it will ever be the large plant that so many seem to have. It is definitely a fighter, though! |
| Positive | On Jul 16, 2009, beckyham from Houston, TX wrote: i had a horrible move ,these have not had the care they should and they are still producing and the fruit is wonderfull |
| Positive | On Dec 15, 2008, rntx22 from Puyallup, WA (Zone 8b) wrote: This plant has been loaded with fruit since early September and is still producing here in December. I was worried that it would not over winter outside, but it survived the snow we just had with no visible damage. |
| Positive | On Apr 28, 2007, ManicReality from Houston, TX (Zone 10a) wrote: This plant smells wonderful, I have just received it. It is outside and doing fine so far. Plan on keepin an eye on it in the hot Houston summer, however I have seen lots of them around town so I'm sure it'll be fine. |
| Positive | On Mar 8, 2006, phoenixtropical from Mesa, AZ (Zone 9b) wrote: Kumquats appear to suffer more from the AZ sun than other varieties of citrus because they are slow growing. Meiwa kumquat fruits are much sweeter and tastier than the more common Nagami kumquat. Meiwa fruit is also different than Nagami in its outward appearance being spherical in shape rather than oblong. Another kumquat, named Marumi, also has round fruit but they are smaller and spicier than the Meiwa. The Marumi tree has thorns whereas the Meiwa does not. Several Marumi trees are present on campus at Arizona State University. Meiwa kumquats are extremely hard if not impossible to find in Arizona nurseries. This is partly due to the fact that Meiwas are unusually hard to graft. |
