Exotické rostliny, Zdeněk Černoch, Větřkovice u Vítkova

Big Fortunella margarita (Lour.) Swingle Kumkvat

Long Fruit

This is most probably a hybrid of original variety that can be well distinguished by its long fruit. It has not been recognized as a separate cultivar though. Its fruit ripens from October to January.

Centennial Fortunella margarita (Lour.) Swingle Oválný kumkvat

Centenial Variegated

This variegated kumquat originates in Orlando, Florida. It has tricolor leaves (light yellow, gray to green and dark green). Its fruit is smaller (4,5-5cm) and weighs roughly 30g. It has light green rind with a hint of grey and almost yellow stripes when unripe. The fruit loses all the stripes when it finally ripens (November to April) and eventually ends up completely orange. There are about 5 seeds in each fruit.

Nagami Fortunella margarita (Lour.) Swingle Oválný kumkvat

Cinese, Jin jie, Luofu, Naga kinkan, Negame, Nippon, Oval, Ovale, Pearl, Perlé

This kumquat originates in Western China and belongs to the oldest citruses. It is widely cultivated in China, Japan, USA and was brought to the attention of Europeans by Robert Fortune in Kanton (1846). Nowadays it can be found growing in Marocco, Israel, Brazil, California and Florida.
'Nagami' is a big, very vigorous tree that can grow as tall as 4,5m in ideal climates. It is said to be fairly frost tolerant (supposedly up to -2°C) and has very dense crown with a few or no thorns on branches. Its leaves are small, elliptic or oval and usually slightly larger than those of other kumquats. They are also dark green on the outside and have obvious venation on the backside of the leaf. Young shoots are typically slightly awkward and light green. 'Nagami'mainly flowers in summer and its flowers are very small, white and aromatic, they usually grow individually. Its date-like fruit is either oval or slightly elongated (4,5cm long and 1,5-3cm wide) and weighs about 5-20g. The orange rind is usually smooth and aromatic, mainly because of large amounts of essential oils. This fruit is edible, but tastes rather badly and there's always very intensive bitter flavor in the background. Its pulp contains almost no acidic juices and is divided into 4-5 segments with only about 2-5 long and quite large seeds. The whole fruit tastes like a well balanced combination of acidic and sweet flavor and ripens usually from October to January. The fruit holds well on the tree and doesn't usually fall down, this variety is easy to graft and cross and is one of the best varieties suitable to grow in flats and at home. It's however slightly more vigorous than other kumquats.

Fukushu Fortunella obovata hort. ex Tan. Kumkvat

Fukushu SRA 325, Fukushu-kinkan, Changshou, Changsou, Chin Chü, Choju kinkan, Chojukinkan, Jiangsu, Kantonský kumkvat, Obovato

This kumquat is sometimes also called "Canton Kumquat" and it originates in China. It is a very old variety and the word "changsou" means "long-lived ". This cultivar is renowned for its extremely slow growth.
The tree itself is very compact and has lots of leaves with no thorns on its branches. It resembles kumquat 'Nagami' very much, but is more vigorous, has slightly larger leaves and tendency to make too many branches that usually don't bare any fruit. According to many opinions this could be a cross of oval kumquat F. margarita (Lour.) Swingle.
The fruit is small or medium (2-5cm), quite wide and usually oval. Its rind is almost golden yellow, when fully ripe, thin, smooth, sweet and edible. The pulp is light orange and is quite soft, somewhat hot like chili with lovely resin-like aroma. There's usually about 5-9 segments in each fruit and very few thin, polyembrionic seeds.  Fukushu's fruit can be eaten along with the rind (precisely like other kumquats) or they are usually preserved in jars.
Just like other kumquats even this one is fairly cold-hardy and suitable for growing indoors. It likes pots and is ideal for growing in drier flats. What this variety really dislikes is wet climate, because of its high susceptibility to Mallattia crittogamica.

Hong Kong Fortunella hindsii (Champ.) Swingle Kumkvat

BB 394, Dwarf, Hime, Hong-Kong, Mame, Selvatica di Hong-Kong, Shan jie, Shan ju ye, Waagerecht wachsend, Wild Hong Kong

It's an ancient Chinese variety that has been growing in the Hong-Kong area and mountain regions of Kwantung and Chekiang provinces for centuries. Many naturally growing trees can be found in these areas even nowadays. 'Hong-Kong Kumquat' was discovered in 1841 in Kuang-tung, Hong-Kong.
This evergreen tree is very wide, but is rather small, almost like a dwarf tree. It has (sometimes) thorns on its branches and makes compact, spherical crown with small, narrow, oval or elliptic leaves. Each leaf is intensively green and its petiole is extremely narrow. This variety is also characteristic with its small, individually growing white flowers and also very decorative, yet small fruits the size of peas (1,5-2cm). 'Hong-Kong Kumquat' has the smallest fruit of all members of the Citrus genus. Its rind is orange with a hint of scarlet color and for a kumquat atypically thick, strong, inedible, smooth and shiny. The sour pulp has only very little juice is divided into 3-4 segments. Each segment contains one thick, quite big seed (green inside). The fruit remains on the tree even when it is fully ripe.
When the growing season is over in China, people usually harvest the fruits, preserve them, make marmalades or use it in spice. This variety is grown in Europe and USA primarily for its decorative value and therefore the most widespread plants have lots of thorns. It is also grown as a bonsai, mainly because of it's slow growth.

Fortunela Hindsi cv. A

This mutation occurred in Berlin, in a place that belongs to Dieter Hach. There are two different varieties distinguished as cv.A or cv.B. The only difference is only the number of thorns, one plant has lots of thorns, the other one has none.

Fortunela Hindsi cv. A

This mutation occurred in Berlin, in a place that belongs to Dieter Hach. There are two different varieties distinguished as cv.A or cv.B. The only difference is only the number of thorns, one plant has lots of thorns, the other one has none.

Marumi Fortunella japonica (Thunb.) Swingle Kumkvat

Giapponese, Golden, Hsia chü, Chin tou, Chinkan, Chintou, Jin dou, Jin gan, Jin ju, Jin kan, Kin Kan, Lu chü, Lu ju, Luowen, Maru kinkan, Maru-kinkan, Muntala, Rotonda, Rotondo, Round, Shan chü, Shan ju, Vangasay, Xia ju

This variety obviously originates in Japan, but some sources also claim that it's Chinese variety, where it was supposedly discovered in 1846 by Robert Fortune. This cultivar was known in the past as C. japonica Thunb., C. inermis Roxb. Or C. aurantium subsp. japonica var. globifera.

It's a small, dwarfed tree or shrub that is less vigorous than any other kumquat, but is very wide and has few thorns on its branches. The leaves are smaller, slightly pointed at the tip with serrated petioles. It resembles kumquat 'Nagami' in certain traits, but is not so widely cultivated. It has white flowers and slightly flattened, spherical fruit that can grow from small to medium-sized (2-3cm) weighing 10-20g. The rind is thin, sweeter, golden yellow with spicy flavor and excellent aroma. Its pulp is very sweet and is usually divided into 6 segments with 3-6 almost green, oval seeds.

This variety also likes higher temperatures and the idle temperature for overwintering is around 5°C. The fruit ripens in the same time, as kumquat 'Nagami'. This variety is also widely cultivated in Vietnam homes in the time of lunar New Year celebrations. Some references mention also usage as a rootstock.

Malayan Fortunella polyandra (Ridl.) Tan. Kumkvat

Hedge, Chang ye jingan, Pagar

'Malayan' originates, as the name suggests, in Malaysia, but is also cultivated in China and Thailand. It's a tropical shrub or very small tree with typically lanceolate leaves that can be as long as 12cm. It has small flowers and spherical orange fruit (4-5cm long) with a thin rind. Its pulp is divided into several segments with very few seeds inside. Ripe fruit is primarily used for preparing refreshing drinks, but also as a spice. 'Malayan' is quite cold-hardy and is very suitable for growing indoors. It's a very decorative kumquat.

Procimequat Procimequat Procimekvat

It is a cross of limequat (hybrid of sour lime 'West Indian' ('Mexican') and kumquat 'Nagami'), according to other sources limequat 'Eustis' (hybrid of sour lime 'West Indian' and kumquat 'Marumi') and kumquat 'Hong Kong'. Its name is a combination of two words: Protocitrus and Limequat.
The tree is quite vigorous, wide, large and it has flowers very similar to those of kumquat 'Hong Kong'. Its leaves are oval, 4,5cm long with a serrated tip. I decided to put it into the catalogue with Fortunella, because it has fruit very similar to that of Fortunella hindsii.