[JTh]

There is a small citrus tree in the garden where we are staying in Gran Canaria, the owner wants to know what it is. The tree is still quite young, about 1.2 m tall, with a few fruits which are smooth-skinned, egg-shaped, like kumquats, but much larger (6-7 cm long). The leaves are very chlorotic, maybe caused by mineral (iron?) deficiency. There are no wings, and when crushed, the smell of the leaf is quite 'green', not lemony or peppery, the margins are sligthly toothed  The branches have hardly any spines. I suppose is is some kind of a hybrid, but which one, kumquat (Fortunella sp.) plus lemon/orange/mandarin or what? Does anybody know anything about this fruit?


_Z290118-Edit Limequat.jpg by JorunT, on Flickr


_Z290121 Citrus hybrid limequat.jpg by JorunT, on Flickr

[Caroline]

Hi Jorun

I would guess - and it's only a guess - that it's a cross between a kumquat and a lemon.  I say this because I have a hedge of limequats (limes X kumquats) with fruits that are bigger than the kumquat parent but smaller than a lime, and look more like a lime than a kumquat.   Is the tree in a pot or in the ground? The chlorosis could be a mineral deficiency or the tree could just need feeding with some all-purpose plant food.  Hope this helps - there are bound to be people out there who are more expert than I 

[Caroline]

P.S. If you google "lemonquat" and "sunquat" some pictures and information should come up which might help. 

[JTh]

Thank you, Caroline, limequat seems to be the best guess, although the fruits are actually slightly bigger than most limes I have seen. Neither sunquat nor lemonquat resemble this fruit that much, so your first suggestion could be the right one. I'm sure the owner will be happy to know the answer. I'll see if I can find some proper 'food' for the tree (it's planted in the ground with an automatic irrigation system), especially iron.

[Trevor Australis]

There are two kinds of lime; the dark green Tahitian Lime and a more cold tolerant yellow-green variety. Your picture resembles the cold tolerant variety.

[JTh]

Trevor, would that be the Tavares limequat (hybrid between Mexican lime and Nagami kumquat) or Eustis limequat (hybrid between Mexican lime and Marumi kumquat)? The first one seems to have larger fruits, like the one I asked about.

[Joanna Savage]

Helena Attlee's 'The Land Where Lemons Grow' dropped on my doorstep for Christmas. It is a delightful and absorbing account of citrus growing in Italy. There are tempting descriptions of citrus recipes, just right to warm these freezing winter days and an excellent historical account of citrus growing in Italy, not the most obvious place for growing citrus. Another kind of plant mania.
Regarding this thread of citrus taxonomy, Attlee gives David Mabberley's opinion that citrus taxonomy  is 'taxonomic havoc' p.35
The full Mabberley refeence is, David Mabberley, 'Citrus (Rutaceae):A Review of Recent Advances in Etymology, Systematics and Medical Applications', Blumea, Vol. 49 (10 December), p.484

[Alisdair]

Jorun, Could you re-post the pictures, please? The originals seem to have fallen victim to the Flickr Disappearing Disease!

[JTh]

Done, I hope it is correct now. The owners greatly appreciated the help, they thought it was a lemon tree when they bought it, but were surprised when the fruits appeared. I have instructed them to feed the tree properly when they visit next time.

[Alevin]

I can't see the photos. 

[JTh]

I have repaired it, again, hope it stays in place for a while.

[Caroline]

I have just found a label in a kitchen drawer which confirms that my limequats are Eustis limequat. That in turn makes it likely that the tree Jorun was asking about is a Tavares limequat (don't know where these names come from), since Nagami kumquats are bigger and a more oval shape than the Marumi variety.  When you next see the tree's owners, Jorun, you can also tell them that the fruit can be used for juice, as you would a lime or lemon, but also make fabulous tart marmelade.

Caroline

[JTh]

Thank you, Caroline, I'll let the owners have this information.

[Alisdair]

Jorun, you could also suggest they crystallise their limequats. I brought back a few kumquats from our tree in the Peloponnese and am crystallising them using an old recipe that worked well the last time I tried it, about 35 years ago, on some I'd bought. It takes about a fortnight and today - day 5 - they've just been drained so that I can strengthen the syrup (delicious smell!):

[JTh]

They look tempting, Alisdair, I'll see if I can find som kumquats and try myself. I once made a pretty nice liqueur from kumquats, with a few coffee beans added during the extraction.