Kumquat

Kumquat
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Citrus
Informal group: Kumquats
Kumquat
"Kumquat" in Chinese characters
Chinese name
Chinese金橘
Literal meaning"golden orange"
Vietnamese name
Vietnamesekim quất
Thai name
Thaiส้มจี๊ด
RTGSsomchíd
Korean name
Hangul금귤
Hanja金橘
Japanese name
Kanji金柑
Nepali name
Nepaliमुन्तला (muntala)

Kumquats (/ˈkʌmkwɒt/ KUM-kwot),[1] or cumquats in Australian English, are a group of small, angiosperm, fruit-bearing trees in the family Rutaceae. Their taxonomy is disputed. They were previously classified as forming the now-historical genus Fortunella or placed within Citrus, sensu lato. Different classifications have alternatively assigned them to anywhere from a single species, Citrus japonica, to numerous species representing each cultivar. Recent genomic analysis defines three pure species, Citrus hindsii, C. margarita and C. crassifolia, with C. × japonica being a hybrid of the last two.

The edible fruit closely resembles the orange (Citrus sinensis) in color, texture, and anatomy, but is much smaller, being approximately the size of a large olive. The kumquat is a fairly cold-hardy citrus.

  1. ^ "Kumquat". Collins Dictionary. n.d. Retrieved 25 September 2014.