Leaf
Prenn, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Round kumquat
Fortunella japonica (Thunb.) Swingle
Also known as: Marumi kumquat, Kumquat
Family: Rutaceae
1.50 to 3 m tall
Planted in pots or in the ground in mild climates
Flowering: June – August
Full sun
Not very hardy, dislikes frost below -5°C, often grown in pots and brought indoors in winter
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Unlike other citrus fruits, the kumquat is eaten whole, skin included — it is precisely its sweet skin contrasting with its tart pulp that makes all its flavour appeal.
🍃 Leaves
Evergreen, small, ovate-lanceolate, glossy
🌸 Flowers
White, fragrant, small, solitary or clustered
🍎 Fruits
Very small oval or round citrus fruit, bright orange, with a thin, soft skin, eaten whole with the fruit
🪵 Bark
Greyish, slender twigs sometimes spiny
🗺️ Distribution
Native to China; grown in France in pots or in the ground on the Mediterranean coast
🐝 Value for pollinators
Fragrant, nectar-rich flowering, appreciated by bees in summer
✂️ Horticultural uses
Small ornamental citrus grown in pots, distinctive as the only citrus whose skin is eaten
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Fruit edible whole, skin included; no known toxicity
🌿 Other Rutaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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