Spanish Lime, Quenepa (Melicoccus bijugatus)
Spanish Lime, Quenepa, Genep or Mamoncillo, is an evergreen or semi-deciduous tree (related to Lychee and Longan) native to northern South America that has naturalized throughout Central America and the Caribbean. It is planted primarily for its edible, green fruits that grow in abundance on the branches from summer through fall.
The flowers bloom in mid to late spring and develop into lime-green fruits. You can tell when they’re ripe when the rind becomes brittle and is easily removed from the sweet orange pulp. It is mainly eaten fresh, but can also be made into juice, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, jam, and syrup. Both fruit and leaves are used in traditional medicines as well for many physical issues and as a pesticide.
Quenepa grows best in full sun to partial shade in deep, calcareous soils. It will naturally grow to 40 feet with a wide-spreading crown in its native habitat, but generally 6 to 12 feet when planted, and can be pruned to a good container size. Spanish Lime trees are male or female, so it’s recommended to plant more than one tree to assure fruit production. They are hardy in USDA zones 9 to 12.
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.
