Re: loquat

We had a large loquat tree in our front yard when I was growing up.  The fruit
was as good as any I've seen, but was still nothing to write home about.  The
largest fruits are around 5 cm in length and 3 cm in diameter, and are
completely covered with fuzz that has to be rubbed off or they must be peeled.
When ripe, the golden-colored fruit, attractive mostly to children, consists
primarily of several large, round, smooth, slippery seeds (suitable for
spitting or shooting) surrounded by a somewhat lesser volume of pleasantly
acid edible pulp.  Nice for a novelty, but not something that you'd want to
eat large quantities of.  I have seen them attacked by fireblight
occasionally, but otherwise they are a carefree, reliable, somewhat tropical-
looking, small evergreen tree.  They tend to drop a lot of litter, however, so
I wouldn't recommend it as a patio tree.  Bronze loquat, by comparison, has
more attractive foliage, grows more slowly, doesn't get as large, and isn't as
messy.  If space is limited and you aren't interested in the fruit, I would
recommend it.

Kurt Mize
Stockton, California
USDA Zone 9
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