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{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Fortunella Swingle'' (PROSEA)}}<big>''[[Fortunella Swingle]]'' Swingle</big>
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== Major species and synonyms ==
* ''[[Fortunella hindsii]]'' (Champ.) Swingle, Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 5: 175 (1915). Synonyms: ''Sclerostylis hindsii'' Champ. ex Benth. (1851), ''Atalantia hindsii'' (Champ.) Oliver ex Benth. (1861).
* ''[[Fortunella japonica]]'' (Thunb.) Swingle, Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 5: 171 (1915). Synonyms: ''Citrus japonica'' Thunb. (1780), ''Citrus inermis'' Roxb. (1832).
* ''[[Fortunella margarita]]'' (Lour.) Swingle, Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 5: 170 (1915). Synonym: ''Citrus margarita'' Lour. (1790).
== Vernacular names ==
*General: *kumquat, kinkan (En).
*Thailand: kam kat, som cheet
*Vietnam: quat, kim quat, tac.
== Origin and geographic distribution ==
== Botany ==
*Evergreen shrubs or small trees, usually 2-4 m tall, branches angular when young, rounded when older, sometimes with single axillary spines. *Leaves simple, alternate, lanceolate, 3-10 cm long, pointed or rounded at apex, finely toothed from the apex to the middle, dark green, densely glandular-dotted, especially on the underside; petioles often narrowly winged. *Flowers borne singly or in few-flowered clusters in axils of leaves, hermaphrodite, 5-merous, small, white, sweet scented; stamens 16 or 20(-24), cohering irregularly in bundles; stigma cavernous within because of large deep-seated oil glands. *Fruit an ovoid or globose berry, 1-4.5 cm diameter, 3-7-segmented, peel rather thick, fleshy, aromatic, bright orange or golden yellow. *Seeds ovoid, germination hypogeal. First foliage leaves broadly ovate, opposite.
''F. hindsii'' : fruits subglobose, 1-2 cm diameter, with 3-4 segments, brilliant scarlet-orange when fully ripe; leaves ovate-elliptical, tapering sharply at both ends.
''F. margarita'' : fruits ovoid or oblong, 2.5-4.5 cm × 2-3 cm, with 4-5 segments; style persistent; leaves up to 10 cm long, pointed at tip.
Growth occurs only at relatively high temperatures. Trees normally come into bloom much later than ''Citrus'' species and enter the condition of induced dormancy earlier. Consequently, trees remain inactive and semi-dormant in subtropical and warm temperate climates during autumn, winter and spring and exhibit growth only during the comparatively short summer season. In the United States first blooms of early spring remain sterile. Fertile flowers appear in summer in axils of leaves on shoots developed in spring. Ripe fruits are harvested from October to January. In Vietnam flowering is in February-March and in June-August. Main harvest is in January-February, second harvest in May-June. In northern India flowering is in March-April and in September-October.
''Fortunella polyandra'' (Ridley) Tanaka (synonym: ''Citrus swinglei'' Burkill), the Malayan kumquat or "limau pagar", is a native of Peninsular Malaysia and Hainan and cultivated as a hedge or wayside shrub in Peninsular Malaysia only, where the desiccated fruit is sometimes sold as a specialty.
Many hybrids of ''Fortunella'' exist, both intrageneric and intergeneric. Intrageneric hybrids are: a) the "Meiwa" kumquat, possibly a hybrid between the oval and the round kumquat, with broadly oval fruits. Sometimes it is considered as a species ( ''Fortunella crassifolia'' Swingle). It is widely grown in Chekiang Province of China and called "chintan"; b) the "Changshou" kumquat, possibly a hybrid between two ''Fortunella'' species, a dwarf form, commonly known as potted plant in China. Sometimes it is considered as a species ( ''Fortunella obovata'' Tanaka). Bigeneric hybrids of ''Fortunella'' with ''Citrus'' and ''Poncirus'' are: limequats, orangequats, citrumquats, procimequats and calamondins. Calamondins are widely cultivated in the Philippines. Formerly they were named ''Citrus mitis'' Blanco, ''Citrus microcarpa'' Bunge or ''Citrus madurensis'' Lour. See the article on ×''×Citrofortunella Citrofortunella microcarpa'' (Bunge) Wijnands. Trigeneric hybrids of ''Fortunella'' are: citrangequats, citrangedins and faustrimedins.
== Ecology ==
Most kumquat species need a cool subtropical or warm temperate climate, with 1100-1500 mm rainfall in the growing season and relatively high temperatures (26-37°C) for optimal growth. They do not tolerate drought or flooding. In the cool periods of the year they enter a condition of dormancy, with a high resistance to winter cold (frosts up to -15°C) even if alternated with milder periods. ''F. japonica'' is more cold-tolerant than ''F. margarita'' .
== Agronomy ==
Kumquat plantations need the same tillage and fertilizing as is required for ''Citrus'' ; fruit size improves up to high nutrient levels. Fertilizers should be applied in late winter to produce a strong spring flush. In winter the previous season's growth should be pruned hard. Some pruning already occurs at harvest, since bearing twigs are usually cut, but additional pruning well in advance of the resumption of growth is beneficial both to fruit size and quantity, especially if the crop has been light.
The following diseases have been observed in kumquat: scab ( ''Sphaceloma fawcetti'' ), green scurf ( ''Cephaleuros virescens'' ), greasy spot ( ''Cercospora citri-grisea'' ), anthracnose ( ''Colletotrichum gloeosporioides'' ), fruit rot ( ''Diaporthe citri'' ) and stem-end rot ( ''Physalospora rhodina'' ).
Kumquats can be attacked by most of the common ''Citrus'' pests such as leaf miners, caterpillars and tree borers. They are resistant or immune to Citrus canker. Potted kumquats are subject to mealy bug infestations.
== Literature ==
* Godden, G., 1988. Growing citrus trees. Lothian Publishing Company Pty Ltd., Melbourne.
* Morton, J.F., 1987. Fruits of warm climates. Creative Resource Systems, Winterville, N.C., USA. pp. 182-185.
* Swingle, W.T., 1967. Botany of Citrus. In: Reuther, W., Webber, H.J. & Batchelor, L.D. (Editors): The citrus industry. Revised edition. Vol. 1. History, botany and varieties. University of California, Division of Agricultural Sciences. Berkeley. pp. 328-339.
== Authors ==