The name loquat derives from lou⁴ gwat¹, the Cantonese pronunciation of the classical Chinese: 蘆橘; pinyin: lújú, literally "black orange".
The phrase "black orange" originally actually referred to unripened kumquats, which are dark green in color.
But the name was mistakenly applied to the loquat we know today by the ancient Chinese poet Su Shi when he was residing in southern China, and the mistake was widely taken up by the Cantonese region thereafter.
The name loquat derives from lou⁴ gwat¹, the Cantonese pronunciation of the classical Chinese: 蘆橘; pinyin: lújú, literally "black orange". The phrase "black orange" originally actually referred to unripened kumquats, which are dark green in color. But the name was mistakenly applied to the loquat we know today by the ancient Chinese poet Su Shi when he was residing in southern China, and the mistake was widely taken up by the Cantonese region thereafter.
Loquat