Mandarinquat facts for kids

Indio Mandarinquat
Species	C. unshiu x C. japonica
Hybrid parentage	Citrus 'Satsuma' × Fortunella 'Nagami'

The mandarinquat is a special type of fruit. It's a mix between a mandarin orange and a kumquat. Sometimes people call it an orangequat, but mandarinquat is the more common name. These fruits belong to a group called citrofortunella.

There are two main kinds of mandarinquats. The Nippon orangequat was first created in 1932. A scientist named Dr. Eugene May from the USDA made it. He crossed a Meiwa kumquat with a Satsuma mandarin.

The second kind is the Indio mandarinquat. This one was found growing naturally. It came from a seed of a Nagami kumquat, but we don't know which plant was its other parent.

Meet the Mandarinquat Fruit

Mandarinquats are small, round, and orange. They are bigger than a regular kumquat. Each fruit is usually about 2 to 4 centimeters around.

Mandarinquat trees are small to medium in size. Their leaves are often long, narrow, and dark green. The tree trunks and branches are quite thin for their size. You can often see fruits on these trees during the colder months, as that's when they grow best.

Mandarinquats have not been specially bred to fight off a plant disease called citrus canker. This disease causes small, round spots on the fruit and the tree. Also, mandarinquats are not seedless. They have a fair amount of rather large seeds inside.

People usually eat mandarinquat fruits whole, just like kumquats. When the fruit is ripe, its sweet skin goes well with the tart (sour) pulp and juice inside.

Where Do Mandarinquats Come From?

The Nippon mandarinquat has two parent fruits: the Meiwa kumquat and the Satsuma mandarin. Both of these fruits can grow well in cooler weather. The Meiwa kumquat can even go partly dormant (sleepy) in winter. The Satsuma mandarin ripens from October to December.

Because their parents like the cold, mandarinquats also grow and are picked in the colder seasons. Both parent fruits are grown in many countries around the world. These include China, Japan, South Africa, and the United States.

In the United States, mandarinquats are mostly grown in Southern states like Florida and Alabama. But you can also find them growing in California and other Western states.

See also

In Spanish: Naranjaquat para niños