Fruits and Nuts · FFET10482
Loquat
Flowering in winter and ripening in late spring to early summer, loquats are peeled and eaten fresh or made into wine.
Melons and other fruits eaten fresh, cooked into dishes or dried.
Loquats ripen to yellow and have juicy flesh; they flower in winter and ripen in late spring to early summer. They are grown in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Fujian and Sichuan, and the fruit is peeled and eaten fresh, canned in syrup or made into wine.
What
Loquat is the fruit of Eriobotrya japonica. The round fruit ripens to yellow and has juicy flesh.1,2
When
Loquats flower in winter and ripen in late spring to early summer. An early written account describes flowering in deep winter and fruit ripening in the third and fourth months.1
Where
Growing areas include Shixing in Shaoguan, Guangdong; Linping and Ninghai in Zhejiang; Yunxiao in Fujian; and Panzhihua and Yonghe village, Tumen town, Maoxian, in Sichuan.3,4
How
Loquats are peeled and eaten fresh, canned in syrup or made into wine. In Linping, Zhejiang, some Tangqi loquats are grown under cover.2,3
Why
Loquats flower in winter and ripen in late spring to early summer, making them a seasonal fresh fruit of early summer.3
Impact and influence
Ninghai loquats reach wholesale markets in Ningbo. Market supplies also come from growing areas including Yunxiao in Fujian, Panzhihua in Sichuan and Yunnan.3