Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Palm or Cycad
Fruit
Origin
United States, Southeastern United States
Southeastern Asia
Types
Rhapidophyllum hystrix
Citrus hystrix
Number of Varieties
151
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cold Regions, Subtropical climates
Deep, gardens, old gardens, Well Drained
USDA Hardiness Zone
6-109-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-6
12-8
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 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
H1, H2, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
180.00 cm180.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm240.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Light Yellow, Lavender
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Dark Red, Brown, Sienna
Yellow, Green, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Needle like
Ovate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Partial Sun, Partial shade, Full Shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Slow
Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site, Drought, Soil Compaction
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs small amount of water
Average Water Needs, Water Deeply
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Partial Sun, Partial shade, Full Shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune to control growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune for shortening long shoots, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Thinning
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, can go long without fertilizers
Apply N-P-K, can go long without fertilizers
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Armored scales, Fomes root rot, Mites, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate, Frost
Cold climate, Drought, Heat And Humidity
Flowers
Insignificant
Insignificant
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
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Rabbits, Small mammals
Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
drowsiness, Scratches
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
bank hedging, Ornamental use
Bonsai
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Ethnobotanic
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aging, Frostbite
Blood purifier, Digestion problems, Digestive disorders
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
Application in Handicrafts, Showy Purposes
Making Shampoo, Used as insect repellent
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Container, Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Hedges, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
RHAPIDOPHYLLUM hystrix
CITRUS hystrix
Common Name
Needle Palm, Porcupine plant
Kaffir Lime, Makrut
In Hindi
सुई ताड़
काफ़िर लाइम
In German
Nadel -Palme
Kaffernlimette
In French
palmier aiguille
combava
In Spanish
palmera aguja
cafre
In Greek
βελόνα φοίνικα
Καφρός Lime
In Portuguese
palmeira agulha
Kaffir Lime
In Polish
Igła palma
kaffir wapno
In Latin
acus palma
Cafres Lime
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Arecales
Sapindales
Family
Arecaceae
Rutaceae
Genus
Rhapidophyllum
Citrus
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Corypheae
-
Subfamily
Coryphoideae
-
Number of Species
10400
1
27800
👆🏻