Limequat
Encyclopedia
The limequat is a citrus tree
that is the result of a cross between the Key lime
and the kumquat
, hybridized by Dr. Walter Swingle
in 1909.
form. The leaves
are characteristically citrus-like. The limequat produces an abundance of fruit even at a young age. The fruit is small, oval, greenish yellow and contains seed
s or pips. It has a sweet tasting skin and a bitter sweet pulp that tastes similar to limes. The fruit can be eaten whole or the juice and rind can be used to flavor drinks and dishes. It has considerable amounts of vitamin C
and is strongly acidic.
This plant is now grown in Japan, Israel, Spain, Malaysia, South Africa, Armenia, the United Kingdom and the United States in California, Florida, and Texas. The fruit can be found, in small quantities, during the fall and winter months in the United States.
s of limequats:
. Incorporate a good compost with some gravel
or other drainage-aiding substance. Sand, despite popular opinion, is poor for aiding drainage. Adding mulch
or compost
on top of the soil can be very beneficial. Plant anytime of the year, watering it well. Water when nearly dry and add fertilizer
occasionally. It can be pruned to keep a shape.
Plants grow fairly slowly and flower and fruit between 5–7 months and rest for 7–5 months.
Limequats are more cold-hardy
than limes but less cold-hardy than kumquats.
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
that is the result of a cross between the Key lime
Key lime
The Key lime is a citrus species with a globose fruit, 2.5–5 cm in diameter , that is yellow when ripe but usually picked green commercially. It is smaller, seedier, has a higher acidity, a stronger aroma, and a thinner rind than that of the Persian lime...
and the kumquat
Kumquat
Cumquats or kumquats are a group of small fruit-bearing trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, either forming the genus Fortunella, or placed within Citrus sensu lato...
, hybridized by Dr. Walter Swingle
Walter Tennyson Swingle
Walter Tennyson Swingle was an American agricultural botanist who was born in Canaan, Pennsylvania and moved with his family to Kansas two years later. He graduated from the Kansas State Agricultural College in 1890, and studied in Bonn in 1895-96 and 1898...
in 1909.
Description
It is a small tree that grows into a contained bushyShrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
form. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are characteristically citrus-like. The limequat produces an abundance of fruit even at a young age. The fruit is small, oval, greenish yellow and contains seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s or pips. It has a sweet tasting skin and a bitter sweet pulp that tastes similar to limes. The fruit can be eaten whole or the juice and rind can be used to flavor drinks and dishes. It has considerable amounts of vitamin C
Vitamin C
Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. In living organisms ascorbate acts as an antioxidant by protecting the body against oxidative stress...
and is strongly acidic.
This plant is now grown in Japan, Israel, Spain, Malaysia, South Africa, Armenia, the United Kingdom and the United States in California, Florida, and Texas. The fruit can be found, in small quantities, during the fall and winter months in the United States.
Varieties
There are three different named cultivarCultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s of limequats:
- Eustis (Citrus japonica Citrus aurantiifolia) - Key lime crossed with round kumquat, the most common limequat. It was named after the city of Eustis, FloridaEustis, FloridaEustis is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 15,106 at the 2000 census. The Census Bureau estimated the population in 2008 to be 19,129. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. - Lakeland (Citrus japonica Citrus aurantiifolia) - Key lime crossed with round kumquat, different seed from same hybrid parent as Eustis. Fruit is slightly larger and contains a few fewer seeds than Eustis. It was named after the city of Lakeland, FloridaLakeland, FloridaLakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
. - Tavares (Citrus japonica 'Margarita' Citrus aurantiifolia) - Key lime crossed with oval kumquat (though there is some speculation that it is actually a lemonLemonThe lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
/kumquat hybrid), fruit is larger and more elongated and color at maturity is more orange than other limequats. It was named after the city of Tavares, FloridaTavares, FloridaTavares is a city in central Florida in the United States. It is the county seat of Lake County. The population was 9,700 at the 2000 census. The Census Bureau estimated the population in 2008 to be 13,746. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Care
Limequats can be grown indoors or outdoors providing the temperature stays between 10°C to 30°C (50°F to 86°F). They are fairly small and can be planted in containers or pots. Plant limequats in a well drained fertile soilSoil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
. Incorporate a good compost with some gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
or other drainage-aiding substance. Sand, despite popular opinion, is poor for aiding drainage. Adding mulch
Mulch
In agriculture and gardening, is a protective cover placed over the soil to retain moisture, reduce erosion, provide nutrients, and suppress weed growth and seed germination. Mulching in gardens and landscaping mimics the leaf cover that is found on forest floors....
or compost
Compost
Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming. At its most essential, the process of composting requires simply piling up waste outdoors and waiting for the materials to break down from anywhere...
on top of the soil can be very beneficial. Plant anytime of the year, watering it well. Water when nearly dry and add fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
occasionally. It can be pruned to keep a shape.
Plants grow fairly slowly and flower and fruit between 5–7 months and rest for 7–5 months.
Limequats are more cold-hardy
Hardiness (plants)
Hardiness of plants describe their ability to survive adverse growing conditions. It is usually limited to discussions of climatic adversity. Thus a plant's ability to tolerate cold, heat, drought, flooding, or wind are typically considered measurements of hardiness. Hardiness of plants is defined...
than limes but less cold-hardy than kumquats.