Loquat

{{short description|Species of plant}} {{distinguish|Loquat (band)}} {{Speciesbox | name = Loquat | image = Loquat-0.jpg | image_caption = Loquat leaves and fruits | taxon = Eriobotrya japonica | authority = (Thunb.) Lindl. | synonyms = * ''Crataegus bibas'' Lour. * ''Mespilus japonica'' Thunb. * ''Photinia japonica'' (Thunb.) Benth. & Hook. f. ex Asch. & Schweinf. |synonyms_ref = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/rjp-1354 |title=The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species |access-date=13 April 2014}}</ref> }}

The '''loquat''' ('''''Eriobotrya japonica''''', Chinese: 枇杷; Pinyin: pípá)<ref>{{Cite news |last=McKirdy |first=Andrew |date=June 6, 2019 |title=Chiba loquat grower loves his work, but frets over the future of the ''biwa'' business |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2019/06/06/food/chiba-loquat-biwa/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |work=Japan Times |language=en}}</ref> is a large evergreen shrub or tree grown commercially for its orange coloured fruits. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant.

The loquat is a fruit tree in the family Rosaceae, subfamily Amygdaloideae, tribe Maleae. It is native to the cooler hill regions of south-central China.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu/dsadditions/Loquat_Fact_Sheet/ |publisher=UC Davis College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences |title=Loquat Fact Sheet}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200010834 |title=Flora of China |publisher=efloras.org}}</ref> It has been introduced to regions with subtropical to mild temperate climates throughout the world.<ref name=Staub/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gbif.org/species/3024146 |access-date=27 April 2020 |website=gbif.org |title=Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl.}}</ref>

''Eriobotrya japonica'' formerly was thought to be closely related to the genus ''Mespilus'' and is still sometimes known as the '''Japanese medlar''', which is the name it takes in other European languages, such as {{lang|es|níspero japonés}} in Spanish or {{lang|it|nespolo giapponese}} in Italian. It is also known as '''Japanese plum'''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nassau.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/fruit/loquat.html |title=Japanese Plum / Loquat |publisher=University of Florida, Nassau County Extension, Horticulture |access-date=20 March 2012}}</ref> and '''Chinese plum'''.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Herbs, Prayer, and Insulin Use of Medical and Alternative Treatments by a Group of Mexican American Diabetes Patients |url=http://www.jfponline.com/pages.asp?aid=2463 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130629143116/http://www.jfponline.com/pages.asp?aid=2463 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-06-29 |author1=Hunt, Linda M. |author2=Arar, Nedal Hamdi |author3=Akana. Laurie L. |journal=The Journal of Family Practice |year=2000 |volume=49 |issue=3 |pages=216–23 |pmid=10735480}}</ref>

==Etymology== {{infobox Chinese |t=蘆橘 |s=芦橘 |p=lújú |w=lu²-chü² |mi={{IPAc-cmn|l|u|2|.|j|ü|2}} |j=lou⁴-gwat¹ |y=lòuh-gwāt |ci={{IPAc-yue|l|ou|4|-|gw|at|1}} |altname=Modern Chinese name |c2=枇杷 |p2=pípá |mi2={{IPAc-cmn|p|i|2|.|p|a|2}} |j2=pei⁴-paa⁴ |ci2={{IPAc-yue|p|ei|4|-|p|aa|4}} | kanji = 枇杷 | kana = ビワ | romaji = biwa }} The name loquat derives from Cantonese ''lou⁴ gwat¹'' ({{lang-zh|c={{Linktext|盧橘}}|p=lújú|l=black orange}}). The phrase 'black orange' originally referred to unripened kumquats, which are dark green in color, but the name was mistakenly applied to the loquat by the ancient Chinese poet Su Shi when he was residing in southern China, and the mistake was widely taken up by the Cantonese region thereafter.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}} Its original name, lou-qwat, is no longer used in most Chinese dialects and has been replaced by ''pipa'' ({{lang|zh|枇杷}}), which is a reference to the fruit's visual resemblance to a miniature pipa lute.{{citation needed|date=October 2025}}

In Louisiana, many refer to loquats as "misbeliefs" (from the Louisiana Creole word for the tree, mísplís) and they grow in the yards of many homes.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bir|first=Sara |title=The Fruit Forager's Companion: Ferments, Desserts, Main Dishes, and More from Your Neighborhood and Beyond |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-60358-716-7 |location=White River Junction, Vermont |publisher=Chelsea Green Publishing |oclc=1005602236}}</ref>

In Spain the fruits are called ''nísperos'',{{citation needed|date=October 2025}} while in northern Portugal, it is called ''magnório'' or ''magnólio'', probably having to do with French botanist Pierre Magnol.{{citation needed|date=October 2025}}

==Description== [[Image:Loquat leaf.JPG|right|thumb|A loquat leaf, shown at a high magnification, illustrating the general appearance of the leaf and the structure of the venation]] ''E. japonica'' is a large, evergreen shrub or small tree, with a rounded crown, short trunk, and woolly new twigs. The tree can grow to {{convert|5|-|10|m|abbr=off}} tall but is often smaller, about {{convert|3|-|4|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. The fruit begins to ripen during spring to summer, depending on the temperature in the area. The leaves are alternate, simple, {{convert|10|-|25|cm|abbr=off|frac=2}} long, dark green, tough and leathery in texture, with a serrated margin, and densely velvety-hairy below with thick yellow-brown pubescence; the young leaves are also densely pubescent above, but this soon rubs off.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/754832#page/116/mode/1up |author=Lindley, John |year=1821 |journal=Transactions of the Linnean Society of London |volume=13 |issue=1 |page=102 |title=''Eriobotrya japonica''}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first=Carl Peter |last=Thunberg |title=''Mespilus japonica'' |journal=Nova Acta Regiae Societatis Scientiarum Upsaliensis |volume=3 |issue= |pages=208 |date=1780 |doi= |url=}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ascherson |first1=Paul Friedrich August |last2=Schweinfurth |first2=Georg August |title=''Photinia japonica'' |journal=Illustration de la Flore d'Égypte |volume=73 |issue= |pages= |date=1887 |doi= |url=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |chapter= |chapter-url= |title=Saururaceae a Zygophyllaceae |publisher=Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México |date=2014 |isbn=978-968-36-3309-5|pages= |series=Flora Mesoamericana |volume=2 |issue=3 |editor-first=G. |editor-last=Davidse |editor2-first=M. |editor2-last=Sousa Sánchez |editor3-first=S. |editor3-last=Knapp |editor4-first=F. |editor4-last=Chiang Cabrera}}</ref>

===Fruit=== Loquats are unusual among fruit trees in that the flowers appear in the autumn or early winter, and the fruits are ripe at any time from early spring to early summer.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/loquat.html |title=Loquat – Fruit Facts |publisher=California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc |access-date=1 April 2017}}</ref> The flowers are {{convert|2|cm|frac=8|abbr=on}} in diameter, white, with five petals, and produced in stiff panicles of three to ten flowers. The flowers have a sweet, heady aroma that can be smelled from a distance.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}

Loquat fruits, growing in clusters, are oval, rounded or pear-shaped, {{convert|3|-|5|cm|frac=8|abbr=on}} long, with a smooth or downy, yellow or orange, sometimes red-blushed skin. The succulent, tangy flesh is white, yellow, or orange and sweet to subacid or acid, depending on the cultivar.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dhiman |first1=Atul |last2=Suhag |first2=Rajat |last3=Thakur |first3=Dhruv |last4=Gupta |first4=Viresh |last5=Prabhakar |first5=Pramod K |date=2022-11-01 |title=Current Status of Loquat (Eriobotrya Japonica Lindl.): Bioactive Functions, Preservation Approaches, and Processed Products |journal=Food Reviews International |publisher=Taylor & Francis |volume=38 |issue=s1 |pages=286–316 |doi=10.1080/87559129.2020.1866007 |issn=1525-6103 }}</ref>

Each fruit contains from one to ten ovules, with three to five being the most common.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/loquat.html |title=Loquat |publisher=Hort.purdue.edu |access-date=8 May 2013}}</ref> Several ovules mature into large, brown seeds (with different numbers of seeds appearing in each fruit on the same tree, usually between one and four).{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}} <gallery mode="packed" heights="160px"> File:Pomological_Watercolor_POM00001040.jpg|Fruit structure File:Loquat seeds.jpg|Seeds File:Loquats.webm|Loquats on the fruit tree </gallery>

== Taxonomy == {{More citations needed section|date=January 2021}} The first European record of the species might have been in the 17th century by Michał Boym, a Polish jesuit, orientalist, politician, and missionary to China. He described loquat in his ''Flora sinensis'', the first European natural history book about China.<ref>{{cite book|first=Edward|last=Kajdański|title=Michał Boym: ambasador Państwa Środka|language=pl|location=Warsaw|publisher=Książka i Wiedza|year=1999|page=183|isbn=83-05-13096-7}}</ref> The common name for the fruit is from the Portuguese ''nêspera'' (from the modified ''nespilus'', originally ''mespilus'', which referred to the medlar), (José Pedro Machado, Dicionário Etimológico da Língua Portuguesa, 1967). Since the first contact of the Portuguese with the Japanese and Chinese dates also from the 16th century, possibly some were brought back to Europe, as was likely the case with other species such as the 'Hachiya' persimmon variety.

''E. japonica'' was again described in Europe by Carl Peter Thunberg, as ''Mespilus japonica'' in 1780, and was relocated to the genus ''Eriobotrya'' (from Greek εριο "wool" and βοτρυών "cluster") by John Lindley, who published these changes in 1821. This fruit is also found in abundance in the north west Pakistan region.

The largest and sweetest variety is "Peluche", with fruits weighting ~70gr each and brix ~16, found mainly in Spain.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://ressources.ciheam.org/ressources/om/pdf/a58/03600137.pdf | title=Loquat under conversion and biological culture | website=ressources.ciheam.org}}</ref>

A famous variety is the late-ripening 'Tanaka', from Portugal, where it is popular in gardens and backyards, but not commercially produced.

Other widely cultivated varieties are "Algerie", "Claudia", "BRT 20".

==Distribution and habitat== The plant is originally from China, where related species can be found growing in the wild.<ref>{{cite web |title=Loquat, production and market. |url=http://ressources.ciheam.org/om/pdf/a58/03600128.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305022628/http://ressources.ciheam.org/om/pdf/a58/03600128.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-05 |access-date=2015-04-19 |publisher=First international symposium on loquat. Zaragoza : CIHEAM Options Méditerranéennes}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lin |first1=S. |last2=Sharpe |first2=R. H.|last3=Janick |first3=J. |year=1999 |title=Loquat: Botany and Horticulture. |url=https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/pdfs/Loquat-HR23.pdf |journal=Horticultural Reviews |volume=23 |pages=235–6}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Li|first1=G. F.|last2=Zhang|first2=Z. K.|last3=Lin|first3=S. Q. |title=Origin and Evolution of Eriobotrya. |url=http://www.actahort.org/books/887/887_2.htm |publisher=ISHS Acta Horticulturae 887: III International Symposium on Loquat}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zhang|first1=H. Z.|last2=Peng|first2=S. A.|last3=Cai|first3=L. H.|last4=Fang|first4=D. Q. |year=1990 |title=The germplasm resources of the genus Eriobotrya with special reference on the origin of E. japonica Lindl. |url=http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/19921630964.html |url-status=dead |edition=1 |journal=Acta Horticulturae Sinica |volume=17 |pages=5–12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427111454/http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/19921630964.html |archive-date=2015-04-27 |access-date=2015-04-19}}</ref> It grows in places where suitable winter temperatures are generally above 10°F or -12°C, such as Georgia, Argentina, Armenia, Afghanistan, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bermuda, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Greece, Kenya, Syria, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Türkiye, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, South Africa, the whole Mediterranean Basin, Pakistan, New Zealand, Réunion, Tonga, Central America, Mexico, South America and warmer parts of the United States such as Hawaii, California, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, with a maximal range comprising coastal Oregon and Washington, southern Tennessee, and most of North Carolina, in places with a favorable humid subtropical climate with relatively mild winters.<ref>{{cite web | title=Loquats surviving the 6°F or -14°C freezing winter | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0hLmGvf3sE }}</ref> {{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

China is the largest producer world-wide (400,000t annually),<ref>{{cite web | title=WORLD LOQUAT PRODUCTION AND RESEARCH WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO CHINA &#124; International Society for Horticultural Science | url=https://www.ishs.org/ishs-article/750_2 }}</ref> with Spain being the second with 41,487t annually, half of which is destined to export markets.

==Cultivation==

=== History === The plant has been cultivated in China for over 1,000 years. Chinese immigrants are presumed to have carried the loquat to Hawaii and California.<ref>[http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Eriobotrya%20japonica.png Biota of North America Project, ''Eriobotrya japonica'']. bonap.net (2014)</ref><ref>[http://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/03030800-0b07-490a-8d04-0605030c0f01/media/Html/Eriobotrya_japonica.htm loquat, ''Eriobotrya japonica''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312000602/http://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/03030800-0b07-490a-8d04-0605030c0f01/media/Html/Eriobotrya_japonica.htm|date=2016-03-12}}. Weeds of Australia, Queensland Biosecurity Edition</ref> It has been cultivated in Japan for about 1,000 years and presumably the fruits and seeds were brought back from China to Japan by the many Japanese scholars visiting and studying in China during the Tang dynasty.

Over 800 loquat cultivars exist in Asia. Self-fertile variants include the 'Gold Nugget' and 'Mogi' cultivars.<ref name=Staub/> The loquat is easy to grow in subtropical to mild temperate climates, where it is often primarily grown as an ornamental plant, especially for its sweet-scented flowers, and secondarily for its delicious fruit. The boldly textured foliage adds a tropical look to gardens. <gallery mode="packed" heights="160px"> Image:BlossomingLoquat.jpg|On this cultivar intended for home growing, the flowers open gradually, resulting in the fruit following suit. File:Louqat255.jpg|Fruit File:Loquats and Mountain Bird.jpg|''Loquats and a Mountain Bird'', Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) </gallery>

The many named cultivars have orange or white flesh.<ref name="crfg">{{cite web |url=http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/loquat.html |title=LOQUAT Fruit Facts |website=Crfg.org |access-date=19 July 2018 |archive-date=24 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024191059/http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/loquat.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> Some cultivars are intended for home growing, where the flowers open gradually, thus the fruit also ripens gradually, compared to the commercially grown species where the flowers open almost simultaneously, and the whole tree's fruit also ripen together.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

China is the biggest producer of loquat in the world, more than five times the production of the second-largest producer, Spain, followed by Pakistan and Turkey.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Caballero |first1=P. |last2=Zamudio |first2=María |title=Loquat, production and market |journal=Options Méditerranéennes: Série A. Séminaires Méditerranéens |volume=58 |pages= |date=2003 |doi= |url=https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Area-production-and-exports-of-loquat-in-the-main-countries_tbl1_242534053}}</ref> In Europe, Spain is the main producer of loquat.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://canales.hoy.es/canalagro/datos/frutas/frutas_tradicionales/nisperos.htm |title=Agroalimentación. El cultivo del Níspero |website=canales.hoy.es |access-date=19 July 2018}}</ref>

In temperate climates, it is grown as an ornamental with winter protection, as the fruits seldom ripen to an edible state. In the United Kingdom, it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/6735/Eriobotrya-japonica-(F)/Details |title=RHS Plant Selector Eriobotrya japonica (F) AGM / RHS Gardening |publisher=Apps.rhs.org.uk |access-date=8 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf |title=AGM Plants – Ornamental |date=July 2017 |page=36 |publisher=Royal Horticultural Society |access-date=17 February 2018}}</ref>

In the United States, the loquat tree is hardy in USDA zones 8 and above, even possibly surviving in zones 7b and 8 in a suitable humid subtropical climate with relatively mild winters, such as in the US states of Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, coastal Oregon and Washington, up to the border with Canada and south-eastern Vancouver Island, and will flower only where winter temperatures do not fall below {{convert|30|F|C|disp=or}}. In such areas, the tree flowers in autumn and the fruit ripens in late winter.<ref name=Staub/> It is popular in the southeastern United States. In the United States, cultivation is typically within the southeastern and temperate west coast regions.<ref name=":22"/> The one advantage the loquat has among others, though, is its fruit becomes available in late April – early May around a time many other fruits are not ready yet.<ref name=":22"/><ref name=":32">{{Cite web|title=Loquat|url=https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/loquat.html|access-date=2020-11-23|website=www.hort.purdue.edu}}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

Loquats have been reported to survive temperatures as cold as {{convert|12|F|C|order=flip}} for short periods of time, and in some cases even surviving through lows of {{convert|6|F|C|order=flip}} in places such as Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina, with leaves growing back on the tree during the warmer months after the freeze.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=Loquat: A Fruit Tree Adaptable to Many Locations |url=https://www.echocommunity.org/resources/04ef0336-6608-45ee-b175-f647cd88a7c6 |access-date=2020-11-23 |website=ECHOcommunity |language=en}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=September 2022}} The loquat grows poorly if the temperature is "too tropical",<ref name=":02"/> but at what maximum temperature it can be cultivated is unclear.

Altitude is an important factor to consider, as well. Loquats grow naturally from {{convert|3000|to|7000|ft|m|sigfig=1|abbr=on|order=flip}}.<ref name=":02"/> The right altitudes varies depending on the temperature or how close it is to the equator. This contributes to why higher altitudes in China or the Andes Mountains make excellent cultivating spots.<ref name=":02"/><ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Agroalimentación. El cultivo del Níspero |url=http://canales.hoy.es/canalagro/datos/frutas/frutas_tradicionales/nisperos.htm |access-date=19 July 2018 |website=canales.hoy.es}}</ref>

China is a major country where loquats grow natively and wild in forests around the mountains. Loquats are cultivated on around {{convert|300000|acre|ha|sigfig=2|order=flip}} with hundreds of different varieties.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web|date=2012-05-11|title=Market Watch: Above the ocean in Malibu, a rare orchard of loquats|url=https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-marketwatch-online-20120511-story.html|access-date=2020-11-23|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref>

In Russia, loquat produces fruits in subtropical and near-subtropical areas (Gelendzhik, Sochi). It also produces fruits in subtropical areas of Georgia.

In Canada, it can be found growing in Vancouver, on the south-eastern coast of the island near the cities of Victoria and Sidney, and coastal south-western British Columbia, where there is a modified Mediterranean climate with cool summers and relatively mild winters. More frost-resistant varieties grow and produce fruit in Sidney, British Columbia, though not every year.

Loquat grows differently in tropical climates, typically blooming two or three times a year.<ref name=":32"/> Loquats usually mature 90 days after the bloom.<ref name=":32"/>

==Uses==

=== Nutrition === {{nutritional value | name = Loquats, raw | image = Loquat - whole and cross section.jpg | kJ = 197 | protein = 0.43 g | fat = 0.2 g | carbs = 12.14 g | fiber = 1.7 g | calcium_mg = 16 | iron_mg = 0.28 | magnesium_mg = 13 | phosphorus_mg = 27 | potassium_mg = 266 | sodium_mg = 1 | zinc_mg = 0.05 | manganese_mg = 0.148 | vitC_mg = 1 | thiamin_mg = 0.019 | riboflavin_mg = 0.024 | niacin_mg = 0.18 | vitB6_mg = 0.1 | folate_ug = 14 | vitA_ug = 76 | source_usda = 1 | note = {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160309022540/https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list?qlookup=09174&format=Full Link to USDA Database entry]}} }} The loquat is low in sodium and high in vitamin A, vitamin B₆, dietary fiber, potassium, and manganese.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wolfram-Alpha: Making the world's knowledge computable |url=http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=loquat |access-date=19 July 2018 |website=Wolframalpha.com}}</ref>

Like most related plants, the seeds (pips) and young leaves of the plant are slightly poisonous, containing small amounts of cyanogenic glycosides (including amygdalin) which release cyanide when digested, though the low concentration and bitter flavour normally prevent enough being eaten to cause harm.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

=== Culinary === The loquat has high sugar, acid, and pectin contents.<ref name="CRFG">{{cite web|url=http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/loquat.html|title=Loquat|last=California Rare Fruit Growers|year=1997|access-date=14 October 2014|archive-date=24 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024191059/http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/loquat.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is eaten as a fresh fruit and mixes well with other fruits in fresh fruit salads or fruit cups. The fruit is also commonly used to make jam, jelly, and chutney, and is often served poached in light syrup. Firm, slightly immature fruits are best for making pies or tarts,{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}} while the fruits are the sweetest when soft and orange.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}} The fruit is sometimes canned or processed into confections. The waste ratio is 30% or more, due to the seed size.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

The loquat can also be used in juices or smoothies. In South American countries such as Ecuador, the loquat can be used for ''batidos'', where they are mixed with milk, ice, or other fruits.<ref name=":02"/><ref name=":22"/><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title=Ecuadorian Typical Food Restaurants directory in Quito, El Crater, El Nispero, el Pajonal, la Cueva del Oso and other Quito Ecuador typical food restaurant|url=http://www.getquitoecuador.com/quito-restaurants/quito-ecuadorian-food-restaurant.html|access-date=2020-11-23|website=www.getquitoecuador.com}}</ref>

An American writer calls the loquat's flavor "floral" with hints of apricot and peach,<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|date=2020-08-22|title=The loquat, San Francisco's secret fruit, is hidden in plain sight|url=https://missionlocal.org/2020/08/loquat/|access-date=2020-12-13|website=Mission Local|language=en-US}}</ref> with the fruit's natural sweetness contributing to its popularity.<ref name=":5" />

Loquats are used commonly as a natural sweetener for many different types of food, and are used to make marmalade and jelly in various locales.<ref name=":5" />{{Failed verification|date=July 2021}} Many people use loquats to create sauces and other juices, since the acidity goes well with the sweetness, another reason why they are popular for making pies and other pastries.<ref name=":5" />{{Failed verification|date=July 2021}}<ref name=":4" />

Loquats are often eaten as a fresh fruit, but need to have the seeds removed to be ready to eat. The seeds not only take up a great deal of space relative to the size of the fruit (''cf.'' avocado), but also are slightly poisonous in large quantities.<ref name=":32"/> The fruit is often peeled, but the peel is edible and not overly thick. <gallery mode="packed"> File:Ripe and unripe loquats.jpg|Ripe and unripe loquats File:Loquat in plate.jpg|Loquat on plate </gallery>

==== Alcoholic beverages ==== Loquats can also be used to make light wine. They are fermented into a fruit wine, sometimes using just crystal sugar and white liquor.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

The liquor ''nespolino'' is made from the seeds,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cosplaxy.com/?lan=IT&key=NkXv4t37PsKpIspUeXRivtK9Bd5dGbV5Q0NptD6PdSY= |title=World News – Eriobotrya_japonica |publisher=Cosplaxy.com |access-date=8 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063827/http://cosplaxy.com/?lan=IT&key=NkXv4t37PsKpIspUeXRivtK9Bd5dGbV5Q0NptD6PdSY= |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> reminiscent of nocino and amaretto,{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} both prepared from nuts and apricot kernels. Both the loquat seeds and the apricot kernels contain cyanogenic glycosides, but the drinks are prepared from varieties that contain only small quantities (such as 'Mogi' and 'Tanaka'<ref>{{cite book|author=Siddiq, Muhammad |title=Tropical and Subtropical Fruits: Postharvest Physiology, Processing and Packaging|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5_xMc9xr1ZwC&pg=PT1140|date= 2012|publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-1-118-32411-0|pages=1140–}}</ref>), so the risk of cyanide poisoning is minimal.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

=== Other uses === Some other uses for loquat include making animal feed and medicine to counter vomiting and thirst.<ref name=":32" /> The loquat's wood is used as an alternative to pear wood and works well to make rulers and other writing instruments.<ref name=":32" /> The loquat's flowers are used to make perfume in Europe, although its yield is considered low. Powdered loquat leaves are also used to treat diarrhea and depression, and to help counteract alcoholic intoxication.<ref name=":32" />

==In culture== The loquat was often mentioned in medieval Chinese literature, such as the poems of Li Bai.

Through golden colour, the ''pipa'' represents gold and wealth in China. One of the fruits is often placed in the ornamental bowls containing other fruits and vegetables (such as spring onions, artemisia leaves, pomegranates, kumquats, etc.) which are used to symbolise auspicious wishes or the Five Prosperities or ''wurui'' (五瑞).<ref>{{cite book |first=Patricia Bjaaland |last=Welch |title=Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery |publisher=Tuttle |location=Singapore |date=2008 |isbn=978-0-8048-3864-1 |pages=54–55 |url=}}</ref> <!-- ==See also== * Coppertone loquat, a hybrid of ''Eriobotrya deflexa'' (synonym: ''Photinia deflexa'') and ''Rhaphiolepis indica'' -->

== References == {{Reflist|refs= <ref name=Staub>{{cite book |page=133 |last = Staub |first = Jack |title = 75 Remarkable Fruits For Your Garden |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=4NTKoIy2TcYC |year = 2008 |publisher = Gibbs Smith |isbn = 978-1-4236-0881-3 }}</ref> }}

==External links== {{wiktionary}} {{refbegin}} {{Commons category|Eriobotrya japonica|Loquat — ''Eriobotrya japonica''}} * ''{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928054504/http://www.tdais.gov.tw/search/books/special/51/1112%E6%9E%87%E6%9D%B7%E7%9A%84%E6%A4%8D%E7%89%A9%E5%AD%B8%E8%88%87%E5%9C%92%E8%97%9D%E5%AD%B8.pdf Botanical and Horticultural Information on the Loquat]}}'' (Traditional Chinese). *{{cite journal |last1=Badenes |first1=M.L. |last2=Canyamas |first2=T. |last3=Llácer |first3=G. |last4=Martínez |first4=J. |last5=Romero |first5=C. |last6=Soriano |first6=J.M. |title=Genetic diversity in european collection of loquat (''Eriobotrya japonica'' Lindl.) |journal=Acta Horticulturae |volume=620 |issue=620 |pages=169–174 |date=2003 |doi=10.17660/ActaHortic.2003.620.17 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283888499 }} *{{cite web |title=Loquat Fruit Facts |publisher=California Rare Fruit Growers |url=http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/loquat.html |access-date=2004-03-29 |archive-date=2012-10-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024191059/http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/loquat.html |url-status=dead }} *{{cite web |title=Loquat |publisher=Purdue University Center for New Crops & Plant Products |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/loquat.html }} *{{cite web |title=Loquat Growing in the Florida Home Landscape |work=IFAS Extension |publisher=University of Florida |url=http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg050 }} *{{cite web |title=''Eriobotrya japonica'' |date=2016-05-09 |work=Manual of the Alien Plants of Belgium |url=https://alienplantsbelgium.myspecies.info/content/eriobotrya-japonica }} {{refend}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q41505}}

Category:Eriobotrya Category:Fruits originating in East Asia Category:Flora of China Category:Flora of Japan Category:Tropical fruit Category:Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine Category:Garden plants of Asia Category:Ornamental trees Category:Fruit trees Category:Edible fruits