Loquat

This article is about a species of flowering plants called Japanese medlar. For other uses, see Medlar. For the band, see Loquat (band).

The loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), called biwa in Japan,^[2] is a large evergreen shrub or tree grown commercially for its orange fruit and for its leaves, which are used to make herbal tea. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant.

Loquat
Loquat leaves and fruits
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Genus:	Eriobotrya
Species:	E. japonica
Binomial name
Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl.
Synonyms^[1]
Crataegus bibas Lour. Mespilus japonica Thunb. Photinia japonica (Thunb.) Benth. & Hook. f. ex Asch. & Schweinf.

The loquat is in the family Rosaceae and is native to the cooler hill regions of south-central China.^[3][4] In Japan, the loquat has been grown for over 1,000 years. It has been introduced to regions with subtropical to mild temperate climates throughout the world.^[5][6]

Eriobotrya japonica was formerly thought to be closely related to the genus Mespilus and is still sometimes mistakenly known as the Japanese medlar, which is the name it takes in other European languages, such as níspero japonés in Spanish or nespolo giapponese in Italian. It is also known as Japanese plum^[7] and Chinese plum.^[8]

Etymology

Loquat
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	蘆橘
Simplified Chinese	芦橘
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin lújú Wade–Giles lu^2-chü^2 IPA [lǔ.tɕy̌] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization lòuh-gwāt Jyutping lou^4-gwat^1 IPA [lou˩ kʷɐt̚˥]
Modern Chinese name
Chinese	枇杷
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin pípá IPA [pʰǐ.pʰǎ] Yue: Cantonese Jyutping pei^4-paa^4 IPA [pʰei˩ pʰaː˩]
Japanese name
Kanji	枇杷
Kana	びわ
Transcriptions Romanization biwa

The name loquat derives from Cantonese lou⁴ gwat¹ (Chinese: 盧橘; pinyin: lújú; lit. 'black orange'). The phrase 'black orange' originally referred to unripened kumquats, which are dark green in color, but the name was mistakenly applied to the loquat by the ancient Chinese poet Su Shi when he was residing in southern China, and the mistake was widely taken up by the Cantonese region thereafter.^{[citation needed]}

In Louisiana, many refer to loquats as "misbeliefs" and they grow in yards of homes.^[9]

Description

 

A loquat leaf, shown at a high magnification, illustrating the general appearance of the leaf and the structure of the venation

E. japonica is a large, evergreen shrub or small tree, with a rounded crown, short trunk, and woolly new twigs. The tree can grow to 5–10 metres (16–33 feet) tall but is often smaller, about 3–4 m (10–13 ft). The fruit begins to ripen during spring to summer, depending on the temperature in the area. The leaves are alternate, simple, 10–25 centimetres (4–10 inches) 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.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Fruit

Loquats are unusual among fruit trees in that the flowers appear in the autumn or early winter, and the fruits are ripe at any time from early spring to early summer.^[14] The flowers are 2 cm (3⁄4 in) in diameter, white, with five petals, and produced in stiff panicles of three to ten flowers. The flowers have a sweet, heady aroma that can be smelled from a distance.^{[citation needed]}

Loquat fruits, growing in clusters, are oval, rounded or pear-shaped, 3–5 cm (1+1⁄8–2 in) 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.^{[citation needed]}

Each fruit contains from one to ten ovules, with three to five being the most common.^[15] Several ovules mature into large, brown seeds (with different numbers of seeds appearing in each fruit on the same tree, usually between one and four).^{[citation needed]}

•  
  Fruit structure
•  
  Ripe single-seeded loquats
• Loquats on the fruit tree

Taxonomy

The first European record of the species might have been in the 17th century by Michał Boym, a Polish jesuit, orientalist, politician, and missionary to China. He described loquat in his Flora sinensis, the first European natural history book about China.^[16] The common name for the fruit is from the Portuguese nêspera (from the modified nespilus, originally mespilus, which referred to the medlar), (José Pedro Machado, Dicionário Etimológico da Língua Portuguesa, 1967). Since the first contact of the Portuguese with the Japanese and Chinese dates also from the 16th century, possibly some were brought back to Europe, as was likely the case with other species such as the 'Hachiya' persimmon variety.

E. japonica was again described in Europe by Carl Peter Thunberg, as Mespilus japonica in 1780, and was relocated to the genus Eriobotrya (from Greek εριο "wool" and βοτρυών "cluster") by John Lindley, who published these changes in 1821.This fruit is also found in abundance in the north west Pakistan region.

The most common variety in Portugal is the late-ripening 'Tanaka', where it is popular in gardens and backyards, but not commercially produced. In northern Portugal, it is also popularly called magnório or magnólio, probably having to do with French botanist Pierre Magnol. In Spain, the fruits are similarly called nísperos and are commercially exploited, Spain being the second-largest producer worldwide, after China, with 41,487 t annually, half of which is destined to export markets.

Distribution and habitat

The plant is originally from China, where related species can be found growing in the wild.^{[17][18][19][20]} It has become naturalised in Georgia, Armenia, Afghanistan, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bermuda, Brazil, Chile, Kenya, Lebanon, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, South Africa, the whole Mediterranean Basin, Pakistan, New Zealand, Réunion, Tonga, Central America, Mexico, South America, Israel, and warmer parts of the United States (Hawaii, California, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina).^{[citation needed]}

Cultivation

History

The plant has been cultivated in China for over 1,000 years. Chinese immigrants are presumed to have carried the loquat to Hawaii and California.^[21][22] It has been cultivated in Japan for about 1,000 years and presumably the fruits and seeds were brought back from China to Japan by the many Japanese scholars visiting and studying in China during the Tang dynasty.

Over 800 loquat cultivars exist in Asia. Self-fertile variants include the 'Gold Nugget' and 'Mogi' cultivars.^[5] The loquat is easy to grow in subtropical to mild temperate climates, where it is often primarily grown as an ornamental plant, especially for its sweet-scented flowers, and secondarily for its delicious fruit. The boldly textured foliage adds a tropical look to gardens, contrasting well with many other plants.^{[citation needed]}

•  
  On this cultivar intended for home growing, the flowers open gradually, resulting in the fruit following suit.
•  
  Fruit
•  
  Loquats and a Mountain Bird, Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279)

The many named cultivars have orange or white flesh.^[23] Some cultivars are intended for home growing, where the flowers open gradually, 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 ripen together.^{[citation needed]}

China is the biggest producer of loquat in the world, more than five times the production of the second-largest producer, Spain, followed by Pakistan and Turkey.^[24] In Europe, Spain is the main producer of loquat.^[25]

In temperate climates, it is grown as an ornamental with winter protection, as the fruits seldom ripen to an edible state. In the United Kingdom, it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.^[26][27]

In the United States, the loquat tree is hardy in USDA zones 8 and above, and will flower only where winter temperatures do not fall below 30 °F or −1 °C. In such areas, the tree flowers in autumn and the fruit ripens in late winter.^[5] It is popular in the southeastern United States. In the United States, cultivation is typically within the southeastern and temperate west coast regions.^[28] The one advantage the loquat has among others, though, is its fruit becomes available in late April – early May around a time many other fruits are not ready yet.^{[28][29][citation needed]}

Loquats have been reported to survive temperatures as cold as −11 °C (12 °F) for short periods of time.^{[30][better source needed]} The loquat grows poorly if the temperature is "too tropical",^[30] but at what maximum temperature it can be cultivated is unclear.

Altitude is an important factor to consider, as well. Loquats grow naturally from 900 to 2,000 m (3,000 to 7,000 ft).^[30] The right altitudes varies depending on the temperature or how close it is to the equator. This contributes to why higher altitudes in China or the Andes Mountains make excellent cultivating spots.^[30][31]

China is a major country where loquats grow natively and wild in forests around the mountains. Loquats are cultivated on around 120,000 hectares (300,000 acres) with hundreds of different varieties.^[28]

In Russia, loquat produces fruits in subtropical and near-subtropical areas (Gelendzhik, Sochi), as well as in subtropical areas of Georgia.

In Canada, it can be found growing in Vancouver, though it does not produce fruit. More frost-resistant varieties grow and produce fruit in Sidney, British Columbia, though not every year.

Loquat grows differently in tropical climates, typically blooming two or three times a year.^[29] Loquats usually mature 90 days after the bloom.^[29]

Uses

Nutrition

Loquats, raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	197 kJ (47 kcal)
Carbohydrates	12.14 g
Dietary fiber	1.7 g
Fat	0.2 g
Protein	0.43 g
Vitamins	Quantity %DV^†
Vitamin A equiv.	8% 76 μg
Thiamine (B1)	2% 0.019 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	2% 0.024 mg
Niacin (B3)	1% 0.18 mg
Vitamin B6	6% 0.1 mg
Folate (B9)	4% 14 μg
Vitamin C	1% 1 mg
Minerals	Quantity %DV^†
Calcium	1% 16 mg
Iron	2% 0.28 mg
Magnesium	3% 13 mg
Manganese	6% 0.148 mg
Phosphorus	2% 27 mg
Potassium	9% 266 mg
Sodium	0% 1 mg
Zinc	0% 0.05 mg
^†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults.^[32]

The loquat is low in sodium and high in vitamin A, vitamin B₆, dietary fiber, potassium, and manganese.^[33]

Like most related plants, the seeds (pips) and young leaves of the plant are slightly poisonous, containing small amounts of cyanogenic glycosides (including amygdalin) which release cyanide when digested, though the low concentration and bitter flavour normally prevent enough being eaten to cause harm.^{[citation needed]}

Culinary

The loquat has high sugar, acid, and pectin contents.^[34] It is eaten as a fresh fruit and mixes well with other fruits in fresh fruit salads or fruit cups. The fruit is also commonly used to make jam, jelly, and chutney, and is often served poached in light syrup. Firm, slightly immature fruits are best for making pies or tarts,^{[citation needed]} while the fruits are the sweetest when soft and orange.^{[citation needed]} The fruit is sometimes canned or processed into confections. The waste ratio is 30% or more, due to the seed size.^{[citation needed]}

The loquat can also be used in juices or smoothies. In South American countries such as Ecuador, the loquat can be used for batidos, where they are mixed with milk, ice, or other fruits.^[30][28][35]

An American writer calls the loquat's flavor "floral" with hints of apricot and peach,^[36] with the fruit's natural sweetness contributing to its popularity.^[36]

Loquats are used commonly as a natural sweetener for many different types of food, and are used to make marmalade and jelly in various locales.^{[36][failed verification]} Many people use loquats to create sauces and other juices, since the acidity goes well with the sweetness, another reason why they are popular for making pies and other pastries.^{[36][failed verification][35]}

Loquats are often eaten as a fresh fruit, but need to have the seeds removed to be ready to eat. The seeds not only take up a great deal of space relative to the size of the fruit (cf. avocado), but also are slightly poisonous in large quantities.^[29] The fruit is often peeled, but the peel is edible and not overly thick.

•  
  Ripe and unripe loquats
•  
  Loquat on plate

Alcoholic beverages

Loquats can also be used to make light wine. They are fermented into a fruit wine, sometimes using just crystal sugar and white liquor.^{[citation needed]}

The liquor nespolino is made from the seeds,^[37] reminiscent of nocino and amaretto,^{[citation needed]} both prepared from nuts and apricot kernels. Both the loquat seeds and the apricot kernels contain cyanogenic glycosides, but the drinks are prepared from varieties that contain only small quantities (such as 'Mogi' and 'Tanaka'^[38]), so the risk of cyanide poisoning is minimal.^{[citation needed]}

Other uses

Some other uses for loquat include making animal feed and medicine to counter vomiting and thirst.^[29] The loquat's wood is used as an alternative to pear wood and works well to make rulers/other writing instruments.^[29] The loquat's flowers are used to make perfume in Europe, although its yield is considered low. Powdered loquat leaves are also used to treat diarrhea, depression, and to help counteract alcoholic intoxication.^[29]

In culture

The loquat was often mentioned in medieval Chinese literature, such as the poems of Li Bai. Its original name is no longer used in most Chinese dialects and has been replaced by pipa (枇杷), which is a reference to the fruit's visual resemblance to a miniature pipa lute.

Because of its golden colour, the pipa represents gold and wealth in China. It is often one in a bowl or composite of fruits and vegetables (such as spring onions, artemisia leaves, pomegranates, kumquats, etc.) to represent auspicious wishes or the Five Prosperities or wurui (五瑞).^[39]

References

1. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 13 April 2014.
2. McKirdy, Andrew (June 6, 2019). "Chiba loquat grower loves his work, but frets over the future of the biwa business". Japan Times. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
3. "Loquat Fact Sheet". UC Davis College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences.
4. "Flora of China". efloras.org.
5. Staub, Jack (2008). 75 Remarkable Fruits For Your Garden. Gibbs Smith. p. 133. ISBN 978-1-4236-0881-3.
6. "Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl". gbif.org. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
7. "Japanese Plum / Loquat". University of Florida, Nassau County Extension, Horticulture. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
8. Hunt, Linda M.; Arar, Nedal Hamdi; Akana. Laurie L. (2000). "Herbs, Prayer, and Insulin Use of Medical and Alternative Treatments by a Group of Mexican American Diabetes Patients". The Journal of Family Practice. 49 (3): 216–23. PMID 10735480. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29.
9. Bir, Sara (2018). The Fruit Forager's Companion: Ferments, Desserts, Main Dishes, and More from Your Neighborhood and Beyond. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60358-716-7. OCLC 1005602236.
10. Lindley, John (1821). "Eriobotrya japonica". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 13 (1): 102.
11. Thunberg, Carl Peter (1780). "Mespilus japonica". Nova Acta Regiae Societatis Scientiarum Upsaliensis. 3: 208.
12. Ascherson, Paul Friedrich August; Schweinfurth, Georg August (1887). "Photinia japonica". Illustration de la Flore d'Égypte. 73.
13. Davidse, G.; Sousa Sánchez, M.; Knapp, S.; Chiang Cabrera, F., eds. (2014). Saururaceae a Zygophyllaceae. Flora Mesoamericana. Vol. 2. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. ISBN 978-968-36-3309-5.
14. "Loquat – Fruit Facts". California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
15. "Loquat". Hort.purdue.edu. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
16. Kajdański, Edward (1999). Michał Boym: ambasador Państwa Środka (in Polish). Warsaw: Książka i Wiedza. p. 183. ISBN 83-05-13096-7.
17. (PDF). First international symposium on loquat. Zaragoza : CIHEAM Options Méditerranéennes. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-04-19.
18. Lin, S.; Sharpe, R. H.; Janick, J. (1999). "Loquat: Botany and Horticulture" (PDF). Horticultural Reviews. 23: 235–6.
19. Li, G. F.; Zhang, Z. K.; Lin, S. Q. "Origin and Evolution of Eriobotrya". ISHS Acta Horticulturae 887: III International Symposium on Loquat.
20. Zhang, H. Z.; Peng, S. A.; Cai, L. H.; Fang, D. Q. (1990). . Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 17 (1 ed.): 5–12. Archived from the original on 2015-04-27. Retrieved 2015-04-19.
21. Biota of North America Project, Eriobotrya japonica. bonap.net (2014)
22. loquat, Eriobotrya japonica 2016-03-12 at the Wayback Machine. Weeds of Australia, Queensland Biosecurity Edition
23. . Crfg.org. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
24. Caballero, P.; Zamudio, María (2003). "Loquat, production and market". Options Méditerranéennes: Série A. Séminaires Méditerranéens. 58.
25. "Agroalimentación. El cultivo del Níspero". canales.hoy.es. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
26. "RHS Plant Selector Eriobotrya japonica (F) AGM / RHS Gardening". Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
27. "AGM Plants – Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 36. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
28. "Market Watch: Above the ocean in Malibu, a rare orchard of loquats". Los Angeles Times. 2012-05-11. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
29. "Loquat". www.hort.purdue.edu. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
30. "Loquat: A Fruit Tree Adaptable to Many Locations". ECHOcommunity. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
31. "Agroalimentación. El cultivo del Níspero". canales.hoy.es. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
32. United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". Retrieved 2024-03-28.
33. "Wolfram-Alpha: Making the world's knowledge computable". Wolframalpha.com. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
34. California Rare Fruit Growers (1997). . Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
35. "Ecuadorian Typical Food Restaurants direcotry in Quito, El Crater, El Nispero, el Pajonal, la Cueva del Oso and other Quito Ecuador typical food restaurant". www.getquitoecuador.com. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
36. "The loquat, San Francisco's secret fruit, is hidden in plain sight". Mission Local. 2020-08-22. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
37. . Cosplaxy.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
38. Siddiq, Muhammad (2012). Tropical and Subtropical Fruits: Postharvest Physiology, Processing and Packaging. Wiley. pp. 1140–. ISBN 978-1-118-32411-0.
39. Welch, Patricia Bjaaland (2008). Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery. Singapore: Tuttle. pp. 54–55. ISBN 978-0-8048-3864-1.

External links

 

Look up loquat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Loquat — Eriobotrya japonica.

• (Traditional Chinese).
• Badenes, M.L.; Canyamas, T.; Llácer, G.; Martínez, J.; Romero, C.; Soriano, J.M. (2003). "Genetic diversity in european collection of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.)". Acta Horticulturae. 620 (620): 169–174. doi:10.17660/ActaHortic.2003.620.17.
• . California Rare Fruit Growers. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2004-03-29.
• "Loquat". Purdue University Center for New Crops & Plant Products.
• "Loquat Growing in the Florida Home Landscape". IFAS Extension. University of Florida.
• "Eriobotrya japonica". Manual of the Alien Plants of Belgium. 2016-05-09.