On a recent warm May day, bundles of small sun-kissed-colored fruit droop from a towering tree in Raffy Espiritu’s backyard in Milpitas. They soak in the light and ripen in the heat before suddenly splitting from the branches at the slightest tug of Espiritu’s hand.

At first glance, the harvest looks like a puzzling mixture of familiar fruits — the color of a mango, the shape of a baby apricot, the texture of a ripe peach. Peel off the paper-thin skin and take a bite, and the flesh is an even more mysterious combination of flavors: tangy, tart, sweet.

“It’s beautiful, the fruit and the leaves of the tree,” Espiritu said. “It’s very, very awesome.”

Loquat fruit grows on a tree owned by Raffy Espiritu, of Milpitas, in his backyard in Milpitas, Calif., on Monday, May 5, 2025. Espiritu moved into his home around the year 2000 and he states that he inherited this wonderful tree from the previous owner. The loquat tree originated in China and grows in subtropical regions around the world. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 

Meet the loquat: a large evergreen shrub that bears dozens of bulb-shaped orange fruit in the late spring and early summer. Loquats are native to China and popular in subtropical regions worldwide, including Asia and Latin America. In California, the trees thrive off the Bay Area’s mild and temperate climate.

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The English word for “loquat” derives from the Cantonese pronunciation of the fruit’s name. It’s known by other ones as well: “Pipa” in Mandarin. “Níspero” in Spanish. “Biwa” in Japanese.

There isn’t a public record of how many loquat trees call the region home — but San Francisco is rumored to have the highest concentration, with around 2,700 trees planted throughout the city. They also grow all over the South and East Bay — along busy public streets, neighborhoods and private backyards, like Espiritu’s.

Across the region, this time of year, locals get a kick out of harvesting the fruit. They pluck them off trees by the bagful or purchase them in bulk from generous neighbors or local farmers’ market vendors.

Some even eat loquats raw, not only for their addictive taste, but also for medicinal purposes. In Eastern medicine, the fruit, seeds and tree leaves are used to treat a variety of ailments, including coughs and inflammation.

“When you eat loquats, it harmonizes the different elements in the body,” Espiritu said. “It balances the ecosystem in your stomach.”

Loquat-picking has become a springtime hobby for the 73-year-old, ever since he bought his house in the early 2000s and inherited the tree.

He does it mostly out of enjoyment, but also out of necessity — hundreds of loquats will sprout in just a matter of weeks. He’ll invite family members and friends, and even encourage the occasional neighborhood squirrel to pick the loquats and feast on the bounty.

The number of people looking for good loquat trees and fruits is on the rise. Locals can purchase them from nurseries, farmers’ markets or online.

On Craigslist, dozens of listings are available for Bay Area trees at a range of price points. A 20-year-old, 10-foot-tall loquat tree sells for $300 in Alameda. “Come and dig it out from ground,” the listing reads. A small 5-foot tree goes for $39 in South San Jose. “Organic and healthy,” says the advertisement.

Gary Matsuno, of Milpitas, peels the skin from a loquat fruit in Milpitas, Calif., on Monday, May 5, 2025. Matsuno, who lives next door to Raffy Espiritu came over to help pick fruit. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 

On Facebook Marketplace, bundles of loquats sell for as low as $2 to as high as $15 in San Jose or Milpitas. Ebay listings show Fremont growers selling 30 fresh loquat leaves for around $6, or 8 pounds of fruit for $65.

There are reportedly more than 900 varieties of loquat tree, each yielding fruits of varying colors, sizes and textures.

Martinez resident Benjamin Fogle knows plenty about them. Growing inside his home are several different kinds of young loquat trees.

“It’s addicting to collect all the different flavors loquats can come in,” the 35-year-old said.

There’s the “Argelino” that bears some of the sweetest fruit and is more orange in color. The “Peluche” produces the largest fruits and leaves. And then there’s “Michael,” which yields a more teardrop-like loquat with uniquely white flesh.

Raffy Espiritu, top, hands loquat fruit to his neighbor Gary Matsuno, both from Milpitas, in Milpitas, Calif., on Monday, May 5, 2025. Espiritu moved into his home around the year 2000 and as he says he inherited this tree from the previous owner. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 

Fogle and his family eat the loquats raw, and even experiment with adding them to food, including ice cream and chicken — a recipe that involves mixing the fruit with ginger and garlic.

“Loquat is such an underrated fruit tree,” Fogle said.

Although many locals enjoy eating loquats, not all can say they reap its benefits.

For the past six years, Pablo Lugones, the owner of Small Batch Jam Company in Pacifica, has been selling a limited-edition loquat jam among his other unique fruit jams, jellies and marmalades. Small Batch is one of the few businesses in the region taking a chance on jellying the fruit, despite seeing little interest.

“It’s not a popular seller at all,” Lugones said.

There are several possible explanations for why the jam doesn’t sell well, he said. Customers are unfamiliar with loquats, or opt instead to buy more zesty and palatable Small Batch bestsellers like Pineapple Pepper Jam or Raspberry Jalapeno.

While Lugones likes the loquat jam’s flavor profile — it tastes like a tropical blend of apricot and pineapple once it’s cooked down with cane sugar and a little citrus pectin — he said the work to pluck the stems off, deseed the fruit and then squeeze small amounts of juice can be tedious.

For all those reasons, Lugones said he’s considering phasing out the jam. He plans on making one last batch this month from the remaining commercially grown loquats he bought last year.

“It’s not something we go out of our way to make; it’s a niche product,” Lugones said. “If it goes away, it’s not going to hurt our business.”