Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Fruit
Vegetable
Origin
Southeastern Asia
Central America, Mexico
Types
Citrus hystrix
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Number of Varieties
13
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Deep, gardens, old gardens, Well Drained
Floodplains, Wet forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-117-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-8
12-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 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 cm15.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
240.00 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
Yellow, Gold
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Green, Yellow green
Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Ovate
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
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
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Water Deeply
Keep ground moist, Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune for shortening long shoots, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Thinning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Fertilizers
Apply N-P-K, can go long without fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
Pests and Diseases
Armored scales, Fomes root rot, Mites, Red blotch
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate, Drought, Heat And Humidity
Cold climate
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
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Butterflies
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Allergy
-
Throat itching, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Bonsai
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Food for animals, Food for birds
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Blood purifier, Digestion problems, Digestive disorders
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Fruits, Seeds
Other Uses
Making Shampoo, Used as insect repellent
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Hedges, Mixed Border
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Botanical Name
CITRUS hystrix
MELOTHRIA scabra
Common Name
Kaffir Lime, Makrut
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
In Hindi
काफ़िर लाइम
Mousemelon
In German
Kaffernlimette
Maus Melone
In French
combava
Mousemelon
In Spanish
cafre
Mousemelon
In Greek
Καφρός Lime
πεπόνι ποντίκι
In Portuguese
Kaffir Lime
melão rato
In Polish
kaffir wapno
mysz melona
In Latin
Cafres Lime
mouse melon
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Sapindales
Cucurbitales
Family
Rutaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Citrus
Cucumis
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Melothrieae
Subfamily
-
Cucurbitoideae
Number of Species
40050
1
27800
👆🏻