Overview
Key Lime is a small evergreen citrus tree valued for aromatic white flowers and thin-skinned, highly acidic fruit. It performs best in warm protected sites and supplies authentic juice for cooking, drinks, and desserts.
Mature Size and Habit
In the ground, trees commonly reach 8 to 12 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide.
Best Landscape Uses
Use it in a sunny edible garden, as a protected courtyard accent, or in a large container that can be sheltered during cold weather. Keep fallen fruit away from hardscape and pools.
Sunlight
Full sun is essential for strong flowering and fruit quality.
Soil, Drainage, and Irrigation
Plant on well-drained soil with the root flare slightly above grade. Irrigate deeply during establishment and dry periods, but let the upper soil breathe. Saturated roots quickly decline in Florida's rainy season.
Best Planting Season for Tampa and Central Florida
Plant in spring after the strongest freeze risk has passed.
Pruning and Maintenance
Remove dead wood, crossing limbs, and shoots below the graft. Avoid heavy pruning, which stimulates weak growth. Follow UF/IFAS citrus nutrition guidance and monitor for psyllids, leafminer, scale, mites, and disease.
Wildlife Value
Fragrant flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees.
Cold and Heat Sensitivity
Key Lime is among the most cold-sensitive common citrus trees. Temperatures near freezing damage leaves and young wood. Heat is suitable when water remains steady, but drought causes bloom and fruit drop.
Safety, Roots, and Placement Warnings
Branches often carry sharp thorns.
Invasive Concerns
Key Lime is not native to Florida and is not generally listed as invasive. Remove unwanted seedlings and rootstock shoots, and avoid moving diseased citrus material outside regulated areas.
Helpful Resources
