Introduction to loquat morphology and distribution

I believe everyone is familiar with loquat. Let me review some knowledge about this fruit for you.

Introduction of loquat

Loquat is a genus of the apple subfamily in the Rosaceae family. It is an evergreen small tree. The crown is rounded and the trunk is quite short. The tree is generally 3 to 4 meters tall. The leaves are thick, dark green, with velvety back and serrated edges. Loquat is native to southeastern China and is named after the shape of its fruit, which resembles the musical instrument Pipa.

Unlike most fruit trees, loquat blooms in autumn or early winter and ripens in spring to early summer, earlier than other fruits. Therefore, it is called "the only fruit tree that has the aura of all four seasons." The flower of loquat is white or light yellow, with five petals and a diameter of about 2 cm. There are five to ten flowers in a cluster.

Morphological characteristics of loquat

Loquat is a subtropical tree in the Rosaceae family. It is evergreen and beautiful in shape. It is often cultivated as an ornamental tree in parks and courtyards. Those over 10 meters tall are rare. The leaves are leathery, elliptical to lanceolate, 20 to 25 cm long, clustered at the end of the branches, with coarse teeth on the leaf margins. The flowers are small, white, and fragrant; the panicles are terminal. The fruits are sparsely clustered, spherical, obovate or pear-shaped, 2.5 to 7.5 cm long; the peel is plum-like, tough, yellow to bronze; the flesh is juicy, white to orange-yellow, containing 3 to 4 large seeds; the fruit has a palatable acidity. It may have originated in central and eastern China. After being introduced to Japan, it was cultivated in large quantities and loved by the Japanese. Later, the excellent varieties cultivated in Japan were introduced to Europe and other regions.

It is usually grown commercially in small areas in many subtropical regions. It is usually propagated by seeds, but commercial cultivation requires grafting, using shield budding or cleft grafting. It grows well in a variety of soils. It bears fruit in about 3 to 4 years.

Distribution of loquat

Loquat grows wild in Sichuan and Hubei of China, and is now cultivated all over the country. It is widely distributed and is cultivated economically in Dongting East and Xishan in Suzhou, Guangfu, Nantong, Haimen, Yangzhou and other places. The output of Dongting East and Xishan accounts for more than 90%, making it one of the famous loquat producing areas in China.