Loquat

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iLoquat

Mature Loquat fruit

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Subfamily:	Maloideae
Genus:	Eriobotrya
Species:	E. japonica

Binomial name

Eriobotrya japonica
(Thunb.) Lindl.

The Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica, syn. Mespilus japonica, Photinia japonica) is a fruit tree in the subfamily Maloideae of the family Rosaceae, indigenous to southeastern China.

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 fall 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.

Loquat in flower. This is a cultivar intended for home-growing, where the flowers open gradually, and thus the fruit also ripens gradually, compared to the commercially grown species where the flowers open almost simultaneously, and the whole tree's fruit also ripens together.

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. 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.

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. Japan is the leading producer of loquats, followed by Israel and Brazil; they are also grown in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Greece, Georgia, Armenia, Southern Italy, Portugal, Spain (particularly around the town of Callosa d'en Sarrià), the south of France, and northern Africa.

The Loquat is easy to grow and is often also grown as an ornamental tree; it was commonly grown in California by the 1870s. The boldly textured foliage adds a tropical look to gardens, contrasting well with many other plants.

The loquat was often mentioned in ancient Chinese literature, such as the poems of Li Bai.

[edit] Etymology

The name loquat derives from lou4 gwat1, the Cantonese pronunciation of its old classical Chinese name (Simplified Chinese: 芦橘; Traditional Chinese: 蘆橘; pinyin: lújú, literally "reed orange"). In modern Chinese, it is more commonly known as pipa (Chinese: 枇杷; pinyin: pípá), 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: nespera (Portuguese), níspero (Spanish), nespola (Italian), nespra (Catalan), nèfle du Japon or bibasse (French). Other names include: sheseq (Hebrew), Askidinya , Akkidinya , Igadinya or Bashmala (Arabic), Akkadeneh (Lebanese), Nor Ashkhar (Armenian), mushmala (Georgian), mousmoula or mespilia (Greek), musmula, yeni dunya, yedi dunya, or Malta erigi in Turkish.