Loquat fruit tree - Eriobotrya japonica

The Loquat fruit tree (Eriobotrya japonica) is a native Chinese tree that has been widely cultivated all over Spain. The edible fruits of this tree are slightly larger than a golf ball and are round to slightly elliptical. Their color is green until they turn a yellow-orange color when ripe.

The way I eat these delicious fruits is to peel of the outer skin, split the inner part in half, remove the seeds (numbering usually from one to three) and then enjoy the "meat" of the fruit. The seeds are fairly large taking up about half the volume of the fruit which means that you have to eat at least four or five of them to feel like you have had a good portion.

These trees are quite sensitive to freezing and rarely produce much fruit if the freezing occurs while they are in flower. There is a tree at a friends house north of Madrid that has a full head of blossoms in December giving the impression that it will produce a lot of fruit. But almost every year they get a good freeze that destroys the fruits even before they have a chance to form. To the south of Madrid and at lower elevation trees that have not been exposed to freezing temps bear their fruit in the Spring.

The leaves of the Loquat tree are about 10-12 inches long, simple in shape with a serrated margin and pronounced veins. They are also quite thick and have a dark green color. The trees themselves do not grow too tall. The ones I´ve seen are about 15 feet tall max.