Centennial Variegated Kumquat

Centennial Variegated Kumquat combines ornamental foliage with striped, necked fruit. UCR describes a compact, upright, thornless shrub; EnzoGrows reports vigorous growth and over 40 fruit on a container specimen.^⁠[1]⁠[2]

H. C. Barrett found the variegated mutation on US-1515 in 1986. Its parent was an open-pollinated Nagami seedling; mandarin involvement remains suspected. USDA released Centennial in 1993, and the name honors the U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory’s centenary.^⁠[1]

UCR describes juicy, low-seeded, light-orange flesh and thinner peel than Nagami, with potential for marmalade. Immature stripes soften as the fruit turns orange. The Mulberries reports that reddish stripes can remain visible when ripe.^⁠[1]⁠[3]

Flavor depends on ripeness and growing conditions. EnzoGrows found the fruit quite tart and planned to wait longer; The Mulberries favors its sweet-tart balance but found only a few good fruit late in the previous season. Neither video provides fruit weight, Brix, pH, or a bitterness rating.^⁠[2]⁠[3]

UCR lists July–September flowering at Riverside. The Mulberries shows fruit setting under greenhouse protection and describes the variety as semi-hardy, without documenting a minimum temperature or freeze event.^⁠[1]⁠[3]