loquat
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: loquat
- From: "* L* S* <4*@www1.utech.net>
- Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 18:23:38 -0800
Loquat-lovers:
I hope you don't mind me jumping in on this one. As a child, one of my
favorite over-the-fence fruits was loquat (Eriobotrya japonica). I grew
up in San Diego where it was common in every abandoned yard and lot and
I saw it everywhere I moved in California (SF to LA).
It seems to be much hardier than people think. A recent hard freeze
here in Lompoc and Santa Maria (17-19 F) did no damage whatsover to any
older trees.
Sunset Western Garden Book lists three fruiting cultivars. They're
grafted and consequently bear fruit early on. I've seen some in
nurseries and I don't see truly significant differences between the
cultivars and between them and many seedlings I've picked fruit from.
I did bump into someone's selected seedling once which had fruit the
size of large quince! I think the gentleman (an amateur) never did
introduce it into the trade. What a shame.
The "Bronze Loquat" is a different species (Eriobotrya deflexa) and
although old trees bear some fruit, they're small and barely edible.
There is also a "Raphiolepis" called 'Majestic Beauty' which many
believe to be an intergeneric hybrid (Raphiolepis x Eriobotrya).
Loquat is one of my favorite multi-purpose landscape plants. I've seen
it in containers but I don't recall ever seeing fruit on the specimens.
A friend of mine makes a loquat-blackberry preserve.
Joe Seals, seedsman
garden@utech.net
USDA Zone 9 (?), Sunset Zone 16-17
