Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Fruit
Vegetable
Origin
Southeastern Asia
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
Citrus hystrix
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Number of Varieties
15
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Deep, gardens, old gardens, Well Drained
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-11-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-8
12*7
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
180.00 cm2.40 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
240.00 cm24.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
Red, Green, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Green, Yellow green
White, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Purple, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Purple, Gray Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Ovate
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Water Deeply
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
In Summer
Lots of watering
Average Water
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune for shortening long shoots, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Thinning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Apply N-P-K, can go long without fertilizers
Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Armored scales, Fomes root rot, Mites, Red blotch
Aphids
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate, Drought, Heat And Humidity
Drought
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Butterflies
-
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Bonsai
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Blood purifier, Digestion problems, Digestive disorders
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Leaves
Other Uses
Making Shampoo, Used as insect repellent
Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Hedges, Mixed Border
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
CITRUS hystrix
BASELLA alba
Common Name
Kaffir Lime, Makrut
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
In Hindi
काफ़िर लाइम
पोई
In German
Kaffernlimette
Malabarspinat
In French
combava
L’épinard de Malabar
In Spanish
cafre
espinaca de Malabar
In Greek
Καφρός Lime
Malabar Σπανάκι
In Portuguese
Kaffir Lime
Malabar espinafre
In Polish
kaffir wapno
Szpinak Malabar
In Latin
Cafres Lime
Spinach Malabar
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Eudicotyledones
Order
Sapindales
Caryophyllales
Family
Rutaceae
Basellaceae
Genus
Citrus
Basella
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
40060
1
27800
👆🏻