• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Open Easter Sunday 10a-3p
  • 713-861-5702
  • Location

Buchanan's Native PlantsBuchanan's Native Plants

Houston's favorite garden center devoted to Texas native plants and organic gardening.

Hide Search
Buchanan's Logo
  • Plants
        • Gift Card
        • Spread the love of gardening with your friends and family. Purchase a Buchanan’s gift card here!

        • Plants Overview
        • Annuals
        • Cacti and Succulents
        • Citrus and Fruit
        • Herbs and Vegetables
        • House Plants
        • Perennials
        • Roses
        • Shrubs
        • Texas Natives
        • Trees
        • Vines
  • Lawn and Garden
        • Outdoor garden with pergola
        • Dedicated to native plants and organic gardening,  we are experienced in helping customers create a lovely outdoor setting with the best quality native plants and environmentally safe organic products available today.

        • Lawn and Garden
        • Soils, Mulch and Amendments
        • Fertilizer
        • Garden Tools and Accessories
        • Pest, Weed and Fungus control
        • Birding
  • House and Home
        • wisteria
        • From entryways to vase fillers, we’ve curated a selection of unique home decor, and fashion items from around the world.  We believe your home should be as beautiful as your garden and with Buchanan’s — it’s easy for your style to blossom.

        • Boutique

        • House and Home
        • Fashion and Fragrance
        • Indoor Gardening
        • Kids
        • Purchase a gift card
        • Outdoor Living

        • Fountains
        • Outdoor Decor
        • Pottery
  • Shop Online
    • Purchase plants
    • Purchase a gift card
    • Gift Card Ordering Information
  • Resources
        • Buchanan's How To Video
        • Tips and Resources

          Resources to help you create the garden of your dreams. From how-to videos, monthly tips, and a comprehensive plant library – explore what Buchanan’s has to offer.

        • Gardening Articles
        • Gardening Calendar
        • Gardening Guides
        • Gardeners’ Rewards
        • Helpful Resources
        • How to Videos
        • Plant Library
        • Soil and Mulch Calculator
  • News
    • This Week at Buchanan’s
    • Events, Seminars, and Workshops
  • About
        • Buchanan’s Native Plants has been serving Houston gardeners since 1986. Located in the historic Houston Heights, the garden center is dedicated to native plants and organic gardening.  You will find the best selections of hardy natives as well as perennials, herbs, vegetables, trees, shrubs & roses — all suited to the Houston climate.

        • About Us
          • Buchanan’s History
        • Our Team
        • Careers
        • Donation Request
        • FAQ
        • Contact Us
  • Show Search
Home » Plant Library » Fruit and Citrus » Key Lime
Key Lime | Citrus aurantifolia

Key Lime

Botanical name: Citrus aurantifolia

A heavy producer of juicy, round fruit year round; a densely branched habit with a full rounded crown at maturity; great container plant for the patio.

Other names: West Indian Lime, Mexican Lime

  • Characteristics
  • Features and Attributes
  • Planting and Growing

Characteristics

Hardiness zone 9b
Flower color cream
Foliage type evergreen
Plant form upright spreading
Mature height 18 feet
Spread 18 feet
Light requirements

full sun to partial shade

Moisture requirements

average to moist

Plant origin import

Key Lime features showy clusters of fragrant creamy white star-shaped flowers with yellow eyes and lilac purple edges at the ends of the branches from late spring to mid summer. It has attractive dark green foliage. The glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. It features an abundance of magnificent green berries in mid summer, which fade to yellow over time.

This is an evergreen tree with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

Spiny

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Key Lime is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

Accent, Hedges/Screening, Orchard/Edible Landscaping, Container Planting

Edible Qualities

Key Lime is a small tree that is commonly grown for its edible qualities, although it does have ornamental merits as well. It produces green round fruit which are usually ready for picking from late summer to early fall. The fruit will often fade to yellow over time. The fruits have a tart taste with a juicy texture and a distinctive fragrance.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

Fresh Eating, Baking, Juice-Making

Planting and Growing

Key Lime will grow to be about 18 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This tree is quite ornamental as well as edible, and is as much at home in a landscape or flower garden as it is in a designated edibles garden. It does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.

Key Lime is a good choice for the edible garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

Woman Holding A Box With Herbs In Her Hands

Tips

Our Monthly To-Do List For Your Garden

This month

Store Address and Hours

Buchanan’s Native Plants
611 East 11th Street
Houston, Texas 77008

713-861-5702

Hours: 9 am – 6 pm
Open Every Day – Monday – Sunday

Stay in touch

Receive our weekly newsletter containing the latest specials, up-coming events and seminars.

* indicates required

Connect on Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Tiktok

We love your garden®

Copyright © 1999 - 2023 Buchanan's Native Plants, All Rights Reserved.

  • Return Policy
  • Privacy Policy