Citrus margarita

Citrus margarita, the oval kumquat or Nagami kumquat, is a species of kumquat; a type of citrus fruit in the genus Citrus, family Rutaceae. Its epithet, margarita, is Latin for pearly.

It is first described by the Portuguese botanist João de Loureiro in 1790, in his Flora cochinchinensis under the name Citrus margarita. It is described again by the American botanist Walter Tennyson Swingle in 1915, as varieties of Citrus japonica. However, recent phylogenetic analysis suggested that C. margarita is a single 'true' species.

Description
C. margarita grows 8-12 ft tall. The branches do not have spines, unlike C. japonica. It has simple, alternate leaves, which are dark green above and have a leathery texture. They grow to about 10 cm long. The flowers are white with 5 sepals and 5 petals and 16-20 stamens. The stigma is hollow and enlarged at the top. The fruits of C. margarita are oblong, measuring 3 x 4 cm. They have 4-5 segments each. The peel is sweet, while the flesh is sour.

Distribution
C. margarita is native to southeast China. It is cultivated in Central and South America, Sicily, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Hawaii and Malaysia.