Spanish Lime, Quenepa (Melicoccus bijugatus)
Sweet and Tangy Tropical Fruit
Common Names: Spanish Lime, Quenepa, Mamoncillo, Genip, Limoncillo, Kenep, Chenet
Family: Sapindaceae
Origin: Northern South America and the Caribbean
The Spanish Lime (Melicoccus bijugatus), also known as Quenepa or Mamoncillo, is a tropical fruit tree native to the Caribbean, Central, and South America. This tree produces small, green fruits that resemble limes, but the flesh inside is sweet and tangy with a jelly-like consistency. Spanish Lime is widely loved for its refreshing taste and is often eaten fresh as a snack or used in beverages and desserts. In addition to its delicious fruit, the Spanish Lime tree is highly ornamental, with a rounded canopy and glossy green leaves, making it a popular choice for tropical landscapes.
Distinctive Features, Uses, and Nutritional Value
Fruits: The fruits of the Spanish Lime are small, round, and covered with a smooth, green skin. Inside, the orange or yellowish pulp is sweet and tangy, with a texture similar to lychee or longan. The fruit is eaten fresh by sucking the pulp from the seed or used in juices, jams, and desserts. Spanish Lime is rich in vitamins A and C, fiber, and antioxidants, making it a healthy and hydrating snack.
Foliage: The tree features pinnate, glossy green leaves that provide dense shade and create a lush, tropical appearance.
Growth Habit: Spanish Lime trees can grow up to 80 feet tall in ideal conditions but are usually pruned to a more manageable height of 30-50 feet in home gardens.
Culinary and Medicinal Uses
Spanish Lime is primarily enjoyed as a fresh fruit, with its sweet, tangy flavor making it a popular street food in the Caribbean and Latin America. The fruit can also be used to make juices, jams, or fermented beverages. In traditional medicine, various parts of the tree, including the bark and leaves, have been used to treat digestive issues, lower blood pressure, and alleviate respiratory problems.
Plant Type:
Tropical/Subtropical Fruit Tree
Harvest Season:
Summer, Fall
Flowers bloom in mid-late spring, bearing fruit mid-summer through fall. There is no color change when the fruit are ripe. Tasting is the most reliable method of identifying ripeness. The fruit are more tart than sweet when not ripe. The rind becomes somewhat more brittle when ripe.
Mature Size:
Typically grown and maintained up to 6-12 ft tall with a canopy spread of up to 4 ft. Can grow up to 40 ft in native landscape or if allowed.
Soil & Moisture:
Rich well-draining soil with lots of water, especially during hotter months.
Light Requirements:
Full Sun, Part Shade
Self-Fertile:
Yes and No. A few cultivars are self-fruitful. However with seedlings, both male and female trees are usually needed and even self-fruitful cultivars do better with a second male nearby. At this stage in the plants growth, there is no way to tell the gender, so we recommend getting multiple plants for the best chances of future fruit!
Growth Rate:
Medium, Slow
Zone Hardiness:
Outdoors 9-12 with frost protection until established; Patio/Greenhouse 4+
Young trees are hardy only to 32°F. Cold hardiness gradually improves with age, and very old trees may withstand 20°F, although small branches and leaves will be killed.
Propagation:
Our Spanish Lime is grown from seed and capable to fruit in about 5 years.
