Loquat
 #loquats #loquatseason #ripe #veryexcited |  Loquat blooms! #flower #florida #tampa #thewildguava #growfood #bloom |  The majestic 'Bradenton' loquat #loquat #bradenton #thewildguava #tampa #tampabay #tropicalfruit #Ja |  Christmas Loquat #loquat #Japaneseplum #chineseplum #thewildguava #tropicalfruit #tampa #fruit #frui |  Tasty little Christmas loquat! #loquat #Christmas #tasty #centralfl #cleaneating #exoticfruit #Japan |  Baby Sherry Loquats (Japanese plums) #loquat #Fruit #Japaneseplum #thewildguava #florida #cleaneatin |  Baby loquats! These little guys will spend the next week plumping up and turning a deeper yellow, th |
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Uses
Loquats are a tasty tropical alternative to northern stone fruits. They have a sweet flavor and can be eaten fresh, made into preserves or a pie filling. High pectins, antioxidants and flavonoids, they are as healthy as they are tasty. A tea can be made with the leaves that is beneficial to the respiratory system.
Care
Loquats are beautiful evergreen trees, their large, silver backed leaves are highly ornamental. It grows with a single trunk and bushy canopy. Large clusters of fragrant white flowers give way to delicious stone fruits, they can be thinned when young to improve the size and quality of the remaining fruit. They can stand temps down to 10 deg, but they fruit during the winter, temps under 26 deg can damage flowering and fruit setting. They are a low maintenance tree, it is drought tolerant and can handle a variety of soils, it does not like soggy soil though. Fruit ripens February-May, The fruit is similar to an apricot and is easily bruised, it will last for up to a week in the fridge.