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chris_larsen57

Help Identifying and Taking Care of Lime Tree

5 years ago

Hi folks! We purchased a house in the East Bay of California recently and it came with a beautiful citrus tree that we're 90% sure is a lime tree. There were tons of fruit in October that were nice and green looking limes. In December and January the fruit we left on there turned yellow but still tasted pretty good. After searching online I found that limes do turn yellow and that the leaves should smell lime-like when crushed (and they do). I'm not sure about the thorns though so I'm asking if folks think it is indeed a lime, maybe if it's one of those lime X lemon trees (Perrine I think) or something else.


Also in late December and early January a few branches shot up with much larger leaves than the rest of the tree with long thorns. Are these something I should prune off to let the rest of the tree get the nutrients? I'll stick a few photos on here and thank you for everyone's advice!





Comments (10)

  • 5 years ago

    We grow four types of limes - Persian, Kaffir/Makrut, Key and Sweet. We always leave all of our limes on the tree until they are ripe. If you can post some close up pictures of the fruit, I may be able to identify which type you have. Based on leaf shape, I can rule out kaffir/makrut as they have a distinctive double leaf. Are the fruit round (Key) or oblong (Persian)? It is also possible, that it is a meyer lemon. It is hard to tell from the photo.

  • 5 years ago

    When you cut them open are they pale green or yellow? Green would be lime, yellow lemon.

    Chris thanked CA Kate z9
  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Thanks Lynda! Most are pretty oblong though a few are round. But they are bigger than I think key limes would be. I'll tack on some more photos.


    And thanks Kate! They're sometimes a bit green inside and at other times more yellow like these in the photo below.








  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Persian limes are supposed to be seedless for the most part, aren't they? Yours has lots of seeds. And I've read that they are mostly thornless, but I have no experience with Persian limes. My key limes are very thorny.

    Chris thanked Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
  • 5 years ago

    They look more like a meyer lemon than any of the limes we grow. They are far too big to be key limes.

    Chris thanked Lynda (Zn9b/23 - Central CA Coast)
  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I just looked at my Persian lime and I think that could be a contender as well. Ours does have thorns, and our fruit is a similar size, shape and color to yours. Unfortunately, I can't remember if it was seedless. I took this just now.


    For a reliable, productive lime tree in California, GardenZeus recommends Bearss limes (Citrus latifolia), also known as Persian or Tahitian limes. Like lemons, Bearss limes do not require high heat to mature, making them a better choice for growing in California than true limes. Compared to a true lime, the Bearss lime is larger, has slightly rougher skin, and stores better. It has a less acidic, more mild flavor than a true lime. Fully ripe fruit turn pale yellow, but can be used when green. Bearss limes are generally seedless unless grown near other citrus, in which case they may have one or two seeds. Bearss lime trees are also significantly larger than true limes, with a full size tree reaching 15-20 feet tall, a semi-dwarf tree 8-12 feet, and a dwarf tree 6-8 feet tall. They have beautiful white blossoms. When young, the trees have a fairly open and angular habit which becomes more dense with maturity. They have very few thorns. Bearss lime trees are known to be very productive and can be ever-bearing like lemon trees, but will fruit most heavily in spring. Though evergreen, they are known to drop substantial amounts of leaves in winter.

    Chris thanked Lynda (Zn9b/23 - Central CA Coast)
  • 5 years ago

    Looks like a meyer lemon to me. Do the flowers have purple tones?

    Chris thanked Ken B Zone 7
  • 5 years ago

    Thanks everyone. @Ken B Zone 7 I haven't seen any flowers yet but I'll keep an eye out.

  • 5 years ago

    Congrats on the house with bonus tree! My vote is Meyer lemon. Do ensure that any growth below the graft is cut away.

    Chris thanked uncle molewacker z9b Danville CA (E.SF Bay)