Key Lime Tree

BOTANICAL NAME

Citrus aurantifolia

LIFE CYCLE

• Perennial

LIGHT REQUIREMENT

• Full Sun

BLOOM SEASON

• Spring
• intermittent blooms year-round

GROWTH HABIT

• Compact
• Upright

COLOR

• Green
• Yellow

MATURE SIZE

• 6-12 ft. x 4-8 ft.

Also known as the Mexican, West Indian, or bartender's lime, the Key lime is prized for its bold, aromatic flavor. Its small, thin-skinned fruit ripens from green to pale yellow and delivers a bright, floral tartness that's far more complex than ordinary Persian or grocery store limes. It's the unmistakable citrus behind authentic Key lime pie, classic margaritas, mojitos, and fresh ceviche, proof that there’s no true substitute for the smallest limes delivering the biggest flavor. The Key Lime Tree is trained with a more visible trunk and an elevated canopy, creating a traditional small-tree shape.

Frost-tender and tropical at heart, Key lime thrives outdoors in warm climates and adapts beautifully to container growing, spending summers in the sun and winters in a bright indoor location wherever temperatures dip below freezing.

• • In warm zones, this tree flowers and fruits almost continuously
• • Small, sweet-scented flowers perfume a patio or sunroom long before the fruit ripens
• • Compact and forgiving of root confinement, thrives in a container

PLANTING SEASON

• Spring
• Summer
• Fall

PLANTING DEPTH

• Plant at the same depth as the container

WATER NEEDS

• Average

PLANT SPACING

• 6 to 10 feet

HARDINESS ZONES

• 8
• 9
• 10
• 11