Makrut Lime Tree (Kaffir Lime)

About the Makrut Lime Tree (Kaffir Lime)

Makrut lime, long sold as kaffir lime, is grown mainly for its glossy, double-lobed leaves, an essential ingredient in Thai, Indonesian and Lao cooking. Torn or finely shredded, they give curries, soups such as tom yum, stir-fries and rice an unmistakable bright, floral citrus perfume. The small, bumpy green fruit are very sour and rarely juiced, but their zest is used in curry pastes. Having your own plant means fresh leaves on demand; it is compact, thorny and very happy in a pot or a warm Mexican garden. Grown on our farms in Yucatán and Chiapas and shipped via DHL.

How to Care for It

Grow in full sun or light shade in well-drained soil or a citrus potting mix. Water when the top few centimetres dry out. Feed with a citrus fertiliser with micronutrients every two to three months in the growing season to keep leaves deep green. Protect from frost. Regular leaf harvesting and light pruning keep it bushy; wear gloves, as the stems are thorny.

Grow fruit most people have never tasted. Our exotic fruit trees, from Monthong durian and Emperor lychee to jaboticaba, achachairú and red finger lime, are raised on our farms in Yucatán and Chiapas and shipped by DHL across Mexico. Most love heat and humidity; several do beautifully in large pots.

Growing Profile

Botanical name

Citrus hystrix

Family

Rutaceae

Native to

Southeast Asia

Mature height

3–6 m

Plant spacing

3 m

Time to first flowers

3–4 years

Light

Full sun

Water

Moderate

Cold tolerance

down to -1 °C

Best climates

Humid tropics, Subtropical, Dry tropics

Grows in a pot

Yes

Ships from

Our farms in Yucatán & Chiapas