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]

Citrus margarita
Fruit
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Citrus
Species:
C. margarita
Binomial name
Citrus margarita
Synonyms
  • Fortunella margarita

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

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C. margarita grows 8–12 ft (2.4–3.7 m) tall. The branches do not have spines, unlike C. japonica. It has simple, alternate leaves, which are dark green above and have a leathery texture. They grow to about 10 cm (3.9 in) long. The flowers are white with 5 sepals and 5 petals and 16-20 stamens. The stigma is hollow and enlarged at the top.[12] The fruits of C. margarita are oblong, measuring 3 cm × 4 cm (1.2 in × 1.6 in).[8] They have 4-5 segments each.[13] The peel is sweet, while the flesh is sour.[14]

Distribution

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C. margarita is native to southeast China.[15] It is cultivated in Central and South America, Sicily, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Hawaii and Malaysia.[16]

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Fortunella margarita (Lour.) Swingle". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  2. ^ a b 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. ^ "Fortunella margarita". Plants for a Future.
  5. ^ "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. ^ a b c "Citrus margarita Lour.". Tropicos. Missouri Botanical Garden.
  8. ^ a b 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. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Khan, Iqrar Ahmad; Khan, Muhammad Sarwar (2021). Citrus; Research, Development and Biotechnology. IntechOpen. p. 34. ISBN 9781839687235.
  14. ^ Harrison, Marie (2009). Flowering Shrubs and Small Trees for the South. Pineapple Press. p. 32. ISBN 9781561644391.
  15. ^ Wiersema, John H.; León, Blanca (2016). World Economic Plants (2nd ed.). CRC Press. p. 309. ISBN 9781466576810.
  16. ^ Seidemann, Johannes (2005). World Spice Plants; Economic Usage, Botany, Taxonomy. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 159. ISBN 9783540279082.