Loquat
| Loquat | ||||||||||||||||
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 Loquat fruit approaching maturity | ||||||||||||||||
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| Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. | ||||||||||||||||
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| Mespilus japonica Photinia japonica |
The loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) is a fruit tree in the subfamily Maloideae of the family Rosaceae, indigenous to southeastern China.
Description
It is an evergreen large shrub or small tree, with a rounded crown, short trunk and woolly new twigs. The tree can grow to 5-10 m tall, but is often smaller, about 3-4 m.
The leaves are alternate, simple, 10-25 cm long, dark green, tough and leathery in texture, with a serrated margin, and densely velvety-hairy below with thick yellow-brown pubescence; the young leaves are also densely pubescent above, but this soon rubs off.
Loquats are unusual among fruit trees in that the flowers appear in the autumn or early winter, and the fruits are ripe in late winter or early spring. The flowers are 2 cm diameter, white, with five petals, and produced in stiff panicles of three to ten flowers.
Loquat fruits, growing in clusters, are oval, rounded or pear-shaped, 3-5 cm long, with a smooth or downy, yellow or orange, sometimes red-blushed skin. The succulent, tangy flesh is white, yellow or orange and sweet to subacid or acid, depending on the cultivar. Each fruit contains five ovules, of which three to five mature into large brown seeds. The skin, though thin, can be peeled off manually if the fruit is ripe.
Use
The loquat is comparable to the apple in many aspects, with a high sugar, acid and pectin content. It is eaten as a fresh fruit and mixes well with other fruits in fresh fruit salads or fruit cups. Firm, slightly immature fruits are best for making pies or tarts. The fruits are also commonly used to make jam, jelly, and chutney, and are delicious poached in light syrup.
A type of loquat syrup is used in Chinese medicine for soothing the throat like a cough drop. Combined with other ingredients and known as pipa gao (枇杷膏; pinyin: pípágāo; literally "loquat paste"), it is acts as a demulcent and an expectorant, as well as to soothe the digestive and respiratory systems. Loquats can also be used to make wine.
Like most related plants, the seeds (pips) and young leaves of the plant are slightly poisonous, containing small amounts of cyanogenetic glycocides which release cyanide when digested, though the low concentration and bitter flavour normally prevents enough being eaten to cause harm.
History
The Loquat was introduced into Japan and became naturalised there in very early times, and has been cultivated there for over 1,000 years. It has also become naturalised in India and many other areas. Chinese immigrants are presumed to have carried the loquat to Hawaii.
The Loquat was often mentioned in ancient Chinese literature, such as the poems of Li Bai.
Production
Japan is the leading producer of loquats, followed by Israel and Brazil. In Bermuda, the loquat is a very popular fruit, usually available from February thru April, and is commonly used in loquat jam. They are also grown in Turkey, Pakistan, Syria, Lebanon, Greece, Georgia, Armenia, Southern Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain (particularly around the town of Callosa d'en Sarrià), the south of France, New Zealand and northern Africa.
Cultivation
The Loquat is easy to grow and is often also grown as an ornamental tree; it was commonly grown in California by the 1870s. It also thrives in the humid south-east Texas (Houston) climate, as well as all over Israel. The boldly textured foliage adds a tropical look to gardens, contrasting well with many other plants.
Etymology
The name loquat derives from lou4 gwat1, the Cantonese pronunciation of its old classical Chinese name (Template:Zh-stp, literally "reed orange"). In modern Chinese, it is more commonly known as pipa (Template:Zh-cp), from the resemblance of its shape to that of the Chinese musical instrument pipa (琵琶). Likewise, in Japanese it is called biwa, similarly named from the corresponding musical instrument, biwa. It is also known as the "Japanese medlar", an appellation used in many languages: nêspera or magnório (Portuguese), níspero (Spanish), lokaat (Hindi), nespola (Italian), náspolya (Hungarian), nespra (Catalan), nèfle du Japon or bibasse (French). Other names include: sheseq (Hebrew), Askidinya, Akkidinya, Igadinya or Bashmala (Arabic), Zaa-ror, Akkadeneh or Akka Dhuniya (Lebanese), zger or Nor Ashkhar (Armenian), mushmala (Georgian), mousmoula or mespilia (Greek), muşmula, yeni dünya, or Malta Eriği in Turkish. In both Turkish and Armenian the name literally means "new world."
See also
- Kumquat [Although Kumquats are not related botanically to Loquats, the the two names come from the same Chinese word for "orange."]
