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Fortunella margarita
Rutaceae FAMILY

Fortunella margarita

Fortunella margarita

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
1/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
Growth—

Succeeds in a range of climates from warm temperate to subtropical and at moderate to higher elevations in the tropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 26 - 37°c, but can tolerate 12 - 40°c[1]. In the cool periods of the year the plant enters a condition of dormancy, with a high resistance to winter cold even if alternated with milder periods[1]. Dormant plants are very cold tolerant, only being killed by temperatures of -15°c or lower, but young growth can be severely damaged at 0°c[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,100 - 1,500mm, but tolerates 700 - 4,000mm[1]. Prefers a moderately heavy loam with a generous amount of compost and sand added and a very sunny position[2]. Prefers a pH of 5 to 6[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7.5, tolerating 6 - 8[1]. Plants are intolerant of water logging[2]. Kumquats are hardier than the various Citrus species since they cease growth when temperatures drop below 13°c but, for best results, they are best grown in a climate where temperatures do not fall lower than between 4 - 10°c[3]. This is because the fruit is sweeter when it ripens in warm conditions[3]. There are some named varieties[2]. By crossing this more cold-resistant species with the citrange (compare Poncirus trifoliata) and Citrus aurantiifolia, several hybrids (citrangequat, limequat) have been produced[4].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe. When they are large enough to handle, prick out the seedlings into individual pots and grow them on until large enough to plant out. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Fortunella+margarita>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]Growing Unusual Fruit. — Simmons. A. E. · David & Charles; Newton Abbot. · 1972 · ISBN 0-7153-5531-7 ↩︎A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.
  4. [4]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
  5. [5]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  6. [6]Medicinal Plants of China — Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. · Reference Publications, Inc. · 1985 · ISBN 0-917256-20-4 ↩︎Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.