Kumquat

Fortunella

  • citrus

Safety

Special populations
UF/IFAS notes the flowers are mildly allergenic.
Human edibility
Edible
Edible parts
whole fruit including the peel
Hazardous parts
Not yet checked.
Preparation
none stated in the sources read
Hazard type
allergen (flowers, mild)
Hazard route
not applicable
How complete this information is
partial

Toxic to pets
Treat as toxic to pets

ASPCA has no page for kumquat itself, but lists three other Citrus species this catalog confirms toxic on the same essential-oils/psoralens principle: sweet orange (Citrus sinensis), grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), and Key lime (Citrus aurantifolia). Kumquat shares the genus and the same toxic-principle class, so it is presumed toxic by relation rather than confirmed by its own ASPCA page.

No ASPCA entry matches kumquat directly -- a direct site search and an alphabetical-index check both came up empty. Treating a fruit as safe merely because its own species page doesn't exist, when three of its closest relatives in the same genus are ASPCA-confirmed toxic on the same toxic-principle class, would be an inconsistent standard -- so this is presumed toxic instead. See the presumed-toxic basis noted below for the specific relatives this inference rests on.

Moving citrus plants
Citrus greening (Huanglongbing, HLB) is a bacterial disease with no cure -- infected trees are usually destroyed once unproductive (UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions). It is established in Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and parts of Alabama, California, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Texas (USDA APHIS). Federal and state rules restrict moving citrus plants, plant parts, or homegrown fruit out of quarantined areas; USDA APHIS advises against mailing or transporting home-grown citrus fruit or plants out of a quarantined area. A USDA APHIS blog post (Aug 25, 2014) put the penalty for knowingly buying citrus trees in violation of quarantine rules at $1,100 to $60,000 per violation -- a federal figure, stated per violation, from a 2014 post (12 years old as of this writing), not a blanket "Florida penalty" figure and not verified current. Florida law (Statute Sec. 581.1843) requires citrus nursery stock be produced in an approved protective structure; UF/IFAS Extension advises buying only disease-free certified trees grown under the Florida Budwood Certification Program's rules. California has its own HLB quarantine zones with similar movement restrictions. Bottom line for a home grower: buy only from a certified/reputable nursery, and don't move a citrus tree, its parts, or homegrown fruit across a quarantine boundary -- check current boundaries with your state's department of agriculture before moving anything, since exact zones change over time and were unconfirmed for real-time accuracy.

Poison control

If someone has collapsed, cannot be woken, is having a seizure or has trouble breathing, call 911 now. For any other possible poisoning, call Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222.

Emergency number source: U.S. federal law (47 U.S.C. § 251(e)(3)), read 2026-10-07.

Quick facts

Hardiness zones

One of the more cold-hardy citrus types -- UF/IFAS EDIS FR368 states it "can handle temperatures as low as 10 deg F," which is unusually low for citrus and is flagged here as worth spot-checking against a second source before displaying as a firm number; Texas A&M AgriLife independently lists kumquats among the "cold-hardy types of citrus," which corroborates the general claim without confirming the exact 10 deg F figure. No USDA zone number given.

Mature size

Usually reaches about 15 ft tall when planted in the open (UF/IFAS EDIS FR368).

Full field manual in the app

Step-by-step care

The numbered steps for caring for this plant, where we have them.

Why each step works

The reasons behind the steps, where we have them.

Problems and fixes

What can go wrong with this plant and what to do about it, where we have them.

Soil, feeding and pruning

How to prepare the soil, when and what to feed, and how and when to prune where that applies.

Get the app: coming soon

Sources

  1. UF/IFAS EDIS FR368 (FOR300), Kumquats
  2. UF/IFAS EDIS HS132, Dooryard Citrus Production (general citrus care/pests)
  3. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Citrus fact sheets
  4. USDA APHIS, Citrus Greening and Asian Citrus Psyllid
  5. USDA, "Citrus Trees: Move It and Lose It" (2014)
  6. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, Citrus Greening FAQ
  7. Florida Statute Sec. 581.1843
  8. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions - Kumquat

How we choose sources