loquat

From Cantonese 蘆橘／芦橘 (lou4 gwat1).

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈloʊkwɑt/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈləʊkwɒt/
• Hyphenation: lo‧quat

loquat (plural loquats)

1. Any of species Eriobotrya japonica of trees (Japanese medlar, Chinese plum, Japanese plum).
   • 1811, William Aiton, Hortus Kewensis; or, A catalogue of the plants cultivated in the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew‎, volume 3:

     Japan Mespilus, or Loquat.

   • 1915, Ira Judson Condit, The Loquat‎, page 254:

     As far as the eye can see, one observes nothing but loquat orchards growing luxuriantly on the low, rich land, where the roots never suffer from lack of water.

   • 2009, Howard Camner, Turbulence at 67 Inches: The Autobiography‎, page 61:

     I climbed up into the loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) tree in our backyard to think.

2. The fruit of this tree. It is as large as a small plum, but grows in clusters, and contains four or five large seeds.

• kumquat

• loquat on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Eriobotrya japonica on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Eriobotrya japonica on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons