Nagami Kumquat: Fortunella margarita

(nagami kumquat: fortunella margarita)
transplanted seedlings, 2009 december 20
carrboro, north carolina

I planted kumquat seeds the same day that I planted the pummelo seed, and they sprouted at the same time - roundabout the second week of December. Like the pummelos, they have grown fairly quickly, and I was able to split them off into small, individual pots a week before Christmas.

Kumquats - bright orange and olive-sized - stand a bit apart from other citrus fruits. They were, until the early 20th century, placed within the citrus genus, before being split off into their own genus, fortunella - the arguments in favor of this separation included differences in flower structure, along with kumquats' winter dormancy. Today, the several kumquat species are still officially classed as fortunella, though today most botanists, academics, and growers all consider them to be a true citrus, and the unofficial moniker citrofortunella is also often used. Kumquats' ability to produce hybrids with other citrus species (or hybrids: the faustrimedin is a trigeneric kumquat-tangerine-finger lime hybrid), along with the similarities in the fruit are the strongest arguments supporting their official re-inclusion within the citrus genus.

The seeds I planted were taken from fresh fruit, used for the aforementioned relish, and these were from nagami kumquats. Nagamis are the most widely cultivated variety in the United States, and like other kumquats they are considerably more cold-hardy than other citrus, able to withstand temperatures of 15 degrees when mature, though cold weather does send them into a deep dormancy unique among citrus. Nagamis have an explosive, intense flavor - the outermost layer of the rind is sweet, but retains a pungent citrus fragrance. The whitish inner layer of the rind is spicy, and eating three or four will leave a trace of a ginger-like burn on your tongue. After biting through the rind, you'll then get a small explosion of juice, with a sour flavor reminiscent of a mixture of lemon and tangerine. If cooked, the flavors of the sweet, sour, and spicy parts of the fruit will mellow out considerably, blending very well into a truly unique flavor very well-suited to jams and preserves.

The vigor of these seedlings is interesting, rivaling that of the pumellos that sprouted the same week. Kumquats mature into one of the smallest of citrus plants, and they are often grown as indoor ornamentals. We'll see how mine progress.