Growing Spanish Lime: Melicoccus bijugatus

Botanical Overview

Melicoccus bijugatus, Spanish Lime, is a member of the Soapberry family (Sapindaceae) and distantly related to Lychee. It is not related to Citrus family limes.

Description

Form: Tree.

Lifespan: Over 50 years.

Leaf retention: Evergreen, but briefly deciduous during leaf changeover.

Growth rate: Slow.

Mature Size: 40-80' (12-24m) high and as wide. The tree can be kept pruned to a 7' (2.1m) height.

Flowers: Very tiny, greenish-white, nectar producing, fragrant, clustered in spikes at the ends of branches. Male and female flowers appear on different trees, but rarely one tree will have both.

Bloom: Mid to late spring.

Self-fruitful: A few cultivars have flowers of both sexes and are self-pollinating. Both male and female trees are usually needed and even self-pollinating cultivars do better with a second male or second self-pollinating cultivar nearby.

Years before fruiting: 8-10 years from seed. 3-4 years from plants produced by air layering or grafting.

Fruit: Oval to round, 0.8-1.6" (2-4cm) in diameter, with thin, brittle, smooth green skin. The flesh is gelatinous, peach to orange in color, juicy, and thinly covers one large seed, rarely two. The flavor varies between trees, usually being described as sweet-tart, like a lime, but delicious. Juice from Spanish Lime fruit must be treated with care because it makes a permanent brown stain on fabric.

Months for fruit to ripen: 3. When the fruit are ripe, there is no color change, but the rind becomes somewhat more brittle. Tasting is the most reliable method of identifying ripeness. The fruit are more tart than sweet when not ripe. The best flavor is attained when the fruit are allowed to ripen fully on the tree.

Storage after harvest: The fruit may last several months in refrigeration if the skin is unbroken.

Leaves: Green, lance-shaped leaflets in groups of four. This tree produces dense shade.

Stems: The trunk has smooth gray bark and may eventually grow to 2' (60cm) in diameter. No thorns.

Roots: The seedlings produce a long taproot. Lateral roots develop with age.

Cultivars of Note:

'Montgomery' Self-pollinating.

'Queen' Easy seed separation from flesh, self-pollinating, but a nearby male tree greatly improves fruit production.

Wildlife: The flowers attract hummingbirds, bees, and other flying insects.

Toxic / Danger: Unripe fruit are mildly toxic and may cause hypoglycemia in susceptible individuals. The seeds can be a choking hazard to young children.

Origin: Northern South America, probably in dry forests. It has been introduced and naturalized in many tropical regions.

Cultivation and Uses

USDA hardiness zones: 9-12. Young trees are hardy only to 32°F (0°C). Cold hardiness gradually improves with age, and very old trees may withstand 20°F (-6.7°C), although small branches and leaves will be killed.

Chill hours: None.

Heat tolerant: All day part shade and extra water are needed above 90°F (32°C).

Drought tolerant: Not in high temperatures.

Sun: Full sun in moderate temperatures to part shade above 90°F (32°C), especially afternoon part shade. This plant is full shade intolerant.

Planting: Locate in deciduous part shade in well draining soil. Space the male and female trees 20' (6m) apart. If the trees will be pruned every winter to maintain their height at 7' (2m), they can be spaced 8' (2.4m) apart. These trees cannot be grown in a container.

Soil: Well draining, low to high in organic content, pH 5.6-7.8 (acidic to slightly alkaline). This plant is moderately salt tolerant.

Fertilize: Apply an organic fertilizer every two months during the growing season. Feed plant micronutrients in irrigation water twice during the growing season.

Water after becoming established: Deep water weekly in hot weather, every two weeks in spring and fall, and every four weeks in winter. The roots are intolerant of flooding.

Mulch: Spread organic mulch inside the drip line and 8" (21cm) away from the trunk to reduce moisture loss and lessen root area temperature extremes.

First Year Care: Water twice a week in high temperatures. Protect from freezing during the first 3 years. Do not prune the first 2 years to speed growth.

Prune: This tree can be kept pruned to a height of 7' (2m) for easier fruit harvesting. Remove grass and weeds around the plant for the first three years to avoid root competition.

Litter: Leaves during leaf-changeover.

Propagation: Cuttings can be grafted onto rootstock, but this method is not always reliable. Air-layering of 2" (5cm) diameter branches during the warm season is more successful and usually produces roots within six weeks. Seed must be sown soon after harvest, are not viable dried, and do not grow true to parent.

Uses: Edible fruit, ornamental, shade. The fruit are eaten raw by peeling the rind and sucking the flesh off the seed. The peeled fruit is also boiled, and the strained liquid used to make alcoholic or cold drinks. The seeds can be roasted, and afterwards, eaten whole or ground into flour.

Comments

Other common names for this tree are Mamoncillo, Quenepa, Limoncillo, and Genip.

In the United States, this tree is grown in California, Florida, and Hawaii.

Its natural northern range limit is the north coast of Mexico's Gulf of California.

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