The loquat fruit is not a popular fruit variety. However, if you happen to come accross the fruit, then you will need to try them. Trust me, they are the fruit that worth the try. The best way to describe the fruits are the deliciously tangy, sweet and succulent mixture of tastes. Moreover, the loquat fruit is rich in anti oxidants, vitamins as well as mineral.
The fruit is unique and they come from the mountainous evergreen rain forests in the Southeastern area of China. From this source, the fruit is then starting to spread to the other parts of the world, including Japan where they become ever popular than before. That is why many people seem to think that the fruit comes from Japan instead. The fruit is also known with other names such as Japanese medlar, Japanese plum, Maltese plum and so many other names.
The plant is an evergreen plant. It is the shape of large shrub or sometimes also a small tree. It belongs to the Rosaceae family. The genus is Eribortrya and its botanical name is Eribotrya japonica. The botanical name shows that it is closely related to apples. In appearance, though, the fruit share a resemblance with lemon. Not only in the shape, but also in the color.
The fruit usually starts to appear on the branches by the end of winter. It takes a couple of months for the fruits to mature and usually they are ready to be harvested during June in Japan. But of course, this is in Japan and there would be various harvesting season depending on the regions. The fruits usually grow in bunches of about 5 to 20 and they are usually 3 cm in width and about 3 – 5 cm in length.
The loquat fruit are rich in pectin as well as dietary fiber and that is why the fruit is good for the colon. It is good becyase it has the ability to protect the colon mucous membranes as they decrease the colon’s exposure time toward the toxic substances. Furthermore, they also have the ability to bind the chemicals that can cause cancer and these chemicals are digested as they enter the colon. Pectin has another benefit as it can also reduce the bad cholesterol level in the blood as it reabsorp what is inside the colon. You would also be happy to know that the loquat fruit contains an abundant level of vitamin A. Each fruit contains 51% of our daily needs.
