Citrus margarita

 ( Margarita ) 

Citrus margarita, the oval kumquat

or Nagami kumquat, is a species of kumquat; a type of citrus fruit in the genus Citrus, family Rutaceae. Its epithet, margarita, is Latin for pearly.

Ernest Small (2025). 9781439856888, CRC Press. ISBN 9781439856888

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

---

Description C. margarita grows tall. The branches have few, to no spines.

Tong Kwee Lim9789048186617, Springer. . ISBN 9789048186617

It has simple, Alternate leaf leaves, which are dark green above, and pale below and have a leathery texture. They are lanceolate (narrow) with an obtuse tip. They grow to up to long, and wide. The Axillary bud flowers are white with 5 and 5 petals and 16-20 stamen They can be single or in clusters, and have persistent styles, and deep seated oil glands. The ovaries are made of 4-5 cells.

The peduncles are . The clavate stigma is hollow and enlarged at the top.

J. M. H. Shaw (2025). 9780521761550, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521761550

The fruits of C. margarita are oblong, measuring , and have orange peels and flesh. They mature in late winter and have 4-5 segments each.

The peel is and sweet, with conspicuous oil cells. The flesh is sour, with spindle-shaped juice vesicles.

Marie Harrison (2025). 9781561644391, Pineapple Press. ISBN 9781561644391

Each fruit has 2-5 green Monoembryony seeds that need to be removed before consumption.

Joy Sheffield Harris (2025). 9781467137652, American Palate. ISBN 9781467137652

Its Cotyledon are light green.

---

Distribution and Habitat

C. margarita is native to southeast China.

(2025). 9781466576810, CRC Press. ISBN 9781466576810

It is cultivated in Central and South America, Sicily, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Hawaii and Malaysia.

Johannes Seidemann (2025). 9783540279082, Springer Berlin Heidelberg. ISBN 9783540279082

It was introduced to Florida in 1885 from Japan, where it became the most commonly cultivated variety of kumquat. It does best in temperatures of in the summer, and is frost-tolerant, withstanding temperatures as low as . 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.

---

Ecology

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

Louise Ferguson (2025). 9781601078407, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources. ISBN 9781601078407

---

Cultivation

Occasionally, the oval kumquat is grafted on the Calamansi.

---

Use

The fruits of C. margarita can be eaten fresh, pickled, preserved in syrup or made into jam.

Stephen Facciola (1992). 9780962808708, Kampong Publ. . ISBN 9780962808708

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.. The tree is often planted as an ornamental tree.

== Gallery ==

Categories: Margarita, Plants Described In 1790, Taxa Named By João De Loureiro, Flora Of Southeast China

Post Comment