Herb: Round Kumquat


Latin name: Fortunella japonica


Synonyms: Citrus japonica


Family: Rutaceae (Rue Family, Citrus Family)



Medicinal use of Round Kumquat:

The plant is antiphlogistic, antivinous, carminative, deodorant, stimulant.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Shrub

Height:
2.5 m
(8 1/4 foot)

Scent:
Scented
Shrub

Habitat of the herb:

Not known in a truly wild situation.

Edible parts of Round Kumquat:

Fruit - usually cooked and used in jellies, preserves etc or used as a flavouring, but it can also be eaten raw. The whole fruit, including the peel, is eaten. The fruit is acid whilst the peel is sweet. The peel is golden-yellow, smooth, thinner and somewhat sweeter than the oval kumquat, F. margarita. The fruit is rich in pectin and makes excellent marmalades and jellies. Vitamin C content is up to 0.24 mg/cc. The fruit is about 4cm long.

Other uses of the herb:

The fresh leaves and young twigs yield 0.21% essential oil that might be suitable for perfumery.

Propagation of Round Kumquat:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a warm airy position in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick out the seedlings into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first two winters. Plant out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts and give some winter protection from the cold for a year or two.

Cultivation of the herb:

Not known in a truly wild situation.

Known hazards of Fortunella japonica:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.