Citrus > Citrus General Discussion
Kumquat varieties update
brian:
I've accumulated pretty much every kumquat and hybrid that I can find. Here's my impressions so far...
Nagami (Nordmann Seedless) - excellent taste. Sometimes a slight soapy taste if not 100% ripe, somewhat astringent also
Nagami - excellent taste but has seeds. More sour than nordmann because its fatter and so has more juice. Sometimes a slight soapy taste if not 100% ripe, somewhat astringent also
Marumi - excellent taste, some seeds
Meiwa - excellent taste, some seeds. Less sour than other kumquats because it has more flesh than juice
Fukushu/Changshau - my personal favorite. Initially mine were about the same size as marumi/meiwa and nearly seedless. More recent crops have been much larger, about the size of a golf ball, and with significantly more seeds. The smaller ones were better in my opinion. I'm hoping that limiting pollination or using giberellic acid would help reduce seed count and also fruit size.
Hong Kong - not really edible because of tiny fruit size, no juice, all seeds. I did eat a bit of the flesh on one and it is somewhat sweet but this is a pure oranamental & breeding parent
Indio Mandarinquat - poor taste for two years in a row. Skin is thin and dry, not enough sweetness to offset sour juice. Off taste similar to Rangpur but less spicy.
Centennial Variegated - poor taste for me on my first crop. Similar to Indio Mandarinquat. Thin is skin and dry, not enough sweetness to offset sour juice. Off taste similar to Rangpur but less spicy. This variety supposedly has a reputation for good taste so I'm hoping it will improve next year but I don't expect the character to change.
Nippon Orangequat - decent but somewhat bland taste. Skin is thick and bland, whole fruit is a bit sloppy as the flesh is soft and juicy. Not worthwhile in my opinion because skin is not sweet like more common kumquats, size is as large as a navel orange, taste inferior to navel orange, and has seeds. You'd be better off with another kumquat or a sweet orange.
"Excalibur" Red Lime - UCR mentions likely Kumquat/Rangpur hybrid. This one was a surprise to me. I couldn't locate one forever and ended up trading with Lorewren on this forum who lives nearby to me. I've been eating the first crop over the past four months and they keep getting better the longer they hang on the tree. They are now dark orange and about the size of a Clementine. They taste quite good, like what I was expecting from Nippon Orangequat. The skin is sweet and relatively thick. When first turning orange 3mo ago they were sour but now they are sweeter and I eat them out of hand. There is a bit of the Rangpur taste but not strong. Seedy, though.
Lakeland Limequat - typical lime flavor. Thin rind that was rather dry and not at all sweet. Few seeds. I wouldn't recommend over a Bearss lime unless you need the cold hardiness.
Sunquat - bright yellow like a meyer lemon, and tasted similar. Thin skin, not sweet but not too dry. Much sweeter than a true lemon. Again, if you need a lemon I'd stick with a real one, but the Sunquat fruit is very attractive looking as it's perfectly round and bright yellow. I'm thinking I will keep this as an ornamental. (RyanL - you called it)
countryboy1981:
Limequat amd lemonquats are also very good in my opinion. Last year I left the centennial kumquat fruit on the tree to early February and they were very good. This year I had to harvest them early January due to a 20 degree night and they are still sour.
adriano2:
I have 2 nagamis planted in the ground and one on the balcony. All of them have one thing in common: they are slow growing citrus.
I love them anyway.
Central Floridave:
Thanks for the recap. I have the Nagami and always wondered if there were better variety. I like Nagami. Mostly grow it as an ornamental and novelty fruit.
brian:
My centennials still have a slight striping and are not as dark orange as my other ripe kumquats, yet they come off the tree with only the slightest effort and sometimes drop on their own. Maybe the tree is struggling and trying to shed fruit rather that mature it fully
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