Mexican Key Lime Tree
Citrus x aurantiifolia
Plant Sentry™
Plant Sentry™
Plant Sentry™ Protected
Your order is protected by our compliance system that:
- Prevents restricted plants from shipping to your state
- Ensures plants meet your state's agricultural requirements
- Protects gardens from invasive pests and diseases
Delivery and Shipping
Delivery and Shipping
Delivery and Shipping
Fast, Safe Plant Delivery
Ships in 3-4 business days • Tracking provided • Weather protected
| Under $50 | $9.99 |
| $50 - $99.99 | $14.99 |
| $100 - $149.99 | $16.99 |
| $150 - $198.99 | $24.99 |
| $199+ | FREE |
✓ Zone-specific timing • ✓ Professional packaging • ✓ Health guarantee
Understanding Plant Options
Nature Hills offers plants in two main formats:
- Container Plants: Grown in pots with soil, sized by container volume and plant age
- Bare Root Plants: Dormant plants without soil, sized by height measurements
Container Plant Sizes
Container sizes indicate plant age and growing capacity rather than liquid volume equivalents. Our containers follow industry-standard nursery "trade gallon" specifications, which differ from standard liquid gallon measurements.
Young Plants (6 months to 18 months old)
| Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 2" x 2" x 3" | 0.18 - 0.21 dry quarts | 0.20 - 0.23 dry liters |
| 4" Container | 0.31 - 0.87 dry quarts | 0.35 - 0.96 dry liters |
| 4.5" Container | 0.65 dry quarts | 0.72 dry liters |
| 6" Container | 1.4 dry quarts | 1.59 dry liters |
| 1 Quart | 1 dry quart | 1.1 dry liters |
| 5.5" Container | 1.89 dry quarts | 2.08 dry liters |
Established Plants (18 months to 2.5 years old)
| Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Quart | 2 dry quarts | 2.2 dry liters |
| #1 Container | 2.26 - 3.73 dry quarts | 2.49 - 4.11 dry liters |
| 5" x 5" x 12" | 3.5 - 4.3 dry quarts | 3.85 - 4.74 dry liters |
Mature Plants (2-4 years old)
| Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| #2 Container | 1.19 - 1.76 dry gallons | 5.24 - 7.75 dry liters |
| #3 Container | 2.15 - 2.76 dry gallons | 8.14 - 12.16 dry liters |
Large Plants (3-5 years old)
| Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| #5 Container | 2.92 - 4.62 dry gallons | 12.86 - 20.35 dry liters |
| #6 Container | 5.25 - 6.01 dry gallons | 23.12 - 26.42 dry liters |
| #7 Container | 5.98 - 6.53 dry gallons | 26.34 - 28.76 dry liters |
Bare Root Plants
Bare root plants are sold by height from the root system to the top of the plant. Plants may exceed minimum height requirements.
Common Sizes:
- Trees: 1 foot, 2 feet, 3 feet, 4 feet, 5 feet, 6 feet
- Shrubs & Perennials: 1 foot, 18 inches, 2 feet
Important Notes
Container Volume Specifications
- Trade Gallon Standard: Our containers follow industry-standard "trade gallon" specifications established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI Z60.1) for nursery stock
- Volume Variations: Actual soil volume may vary due to plant root systems and growing medium settlement
- Age Indicators: Container size primarily indicates plant age and maturity rather than liquid volume equivalents
Growing Conditions
- Plant size can vary based on variety and growing conditions
- Container size helps indicate plant maturity and establishment level
- Larger containers generally mean more established root systems and faster landscape establishment
Seasonal Availability
- Bare root plants are available seasonally when dormant
- Container plants are available throughout the growing season
- Specific varieties may have limited availability in certain sizes
Questions?
For questions about specific plant sizes or availability, please contact our plant experts who can help you choose the right size for your landscape needs.
Plant Sentry™ Protected
Your order is protected by our compliance system that:
- Prevents restricted plants from shipping to your state
- Ensures plants meet your state's agricultural requirements
- Protects gardens from invasive pests and diseases
Plant Profile & Growing Essentials
Evergreen, Flowering, Self-pollinating, Edible, Fragrant, Heat Tolerant, and Container Friendly
Specifications
Specifications
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Botanical Name
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Height
-
Width
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Growing Zones
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Sunlight
-
Growth RateSlow
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Flower Color
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Leaf Color
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Fall Color
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Pollinator FriendlyYes
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Pollinator Required
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FragrantYes
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Bloom PeriodLate Spring, Early Summer, Late Summer
Planting & Care Instructions
Planting & Care Instructions
Look in any bartender's tray across the country and you'll probably find neat triangles of squeezable cut limes. These are Mexican Key Limes (Citrus x aurantifolia) and they add a wonderful boost of flavor when spritzing a cocktail, a glass of sparkling water, or a taco. And don't get us started on the sweet-tart taste of Key Lime pie.
The fragrant flower buds are purple-tinged and open to pure, waxy white. They'll perfume the air with a wonderfully fresh citrus scent. Even the leaves release a marvelous lime scent when crushed. Try them in potpourri or homemade soaps and shampoo bars.
Mexican Key Lime is also known as Bartenders Lime due to its great flavor and high juice content. It's also called the West Indian Lime, to recognize where this lime was first propagated in the West Indies. Smaller, sweeter and thinner-skinned than Persian lime varieties, Mexican Key Limes are true limes. Even though their thin skin can be green or yellow-green, they are packed with juice. The small, tart fruit has a wonderful flavor with outstanding floral hints.
Planting and Application:
Mexican Key Lime makes an ideal container plant and a wonderful patio shrubby tree. Imagine having the fruit for your drinks or cooking just an arm's length away! Grow them in the ground in Zones 9 - 11. Or, use as a patio tree in a large container in colder climates, then bring them indoors as houseplants for the winter.
This is both an ornamental and edible tree with fragrant white flowers, shaggy, deep green leaves and yellow-green fruit. Try it as you would other trees. Make a bold statement by placing a single Mexican Key Lime tree as an anchor in your foundation planting.
- Fragrant, Delicious Mexican Key Limes
- Versatile, Aromatic Small Tree
- Culinary Favorite
- Fragrant White Blossoms
- High Yield
#ProPlantTips for Care:
Citrus trees need full sun and good air circulation and drainage. Plant in very well-drained slightly acidic soil with adequate fertility. Citrus trees like to dry out between waterings and enjoy moderate moisture, in pots or in the ground.
Protecting Container Citrus From Cold
If you're growing these tropical trees in the ground in the lowest of their favored growing zones, they need to be planted in a sheltered spot to avoid the worst of the chill. If a spot like that is unavailable then you are better off planting in a large, deep container.
This Citrus variety naturally grows successfully in marginal Citrus areas (USDA zones 8 to 4). But Citrus trees grown in these zones should be grown in containers and brought indoors before the wintertime.
In cooler growing zones, begin slowly acclimating your tree indoors in the early fall or moving them into a protected location, eventually moving your tree inside in bright indirect sun for the winter if the temperatures in your area ever dip below that 40°F range.
In spring, reverse this process and begin acclimating your tree to again be back out in the full sun all summer. This reduces stress and leaf drop.
- Full Sun
- Moderate Fertility & Moisture
- Prune After Fruiting
- Slightly Acidic Well-Drained Soil
- Citrus Make Great Indoor Houseplant
The fruit fetches a good market price, and these pricey limes can really add up at the supermarket. Why not grow your own supply of these extremely popular limes? Order your own Mexican Key Lime Tree today at NatureHills.com!
Lime Variety Beloved Worldwide
The Mexican Lime is the oldest known and most popular lime variety throughout the world. Since its introduction to the world stage, it has gained several different names.
The Mexican Lime is native to a region called Indo-Malayan, a wide sub-continent that includes India east to Indonesia. In this region, it is referred to as the West Indian Lime or just Lime.
West Indian Lime reached Europe during the Crusades. By the 13th century, it was reported to be planted in gardens throughout Italy and into France. It exhibits a high degree of polyembryony and comes true from seed. Because of this quality, there are few varietal selections offered.
Seed carried by the Spanish is likely how the Lime made it to the Caribbean Islands and Mexico, where it is reportedly widely-grown by the 1500s. Because of the similarities in climate to the Indo-Malayan region, it was not long before the plant naturalized into the local wilderness.
The name Mexican Lime came about with the early cultivation of the fruit by the Spanish in strongholds like Colima, Mexico. By the end of the 1500s, the Mexican lime was an important part of the Mexican culture.
This was not the case with its introduction into the United States. It wasn't until the mid-1800s that Mexican Lime began to be planted - mostly in the Southern Florida region. By the late 1800's, reports of commercial plantings began to be cited.
It was at this time the name Key Lime began to make its appearance with commercial plantings extending into the Florida Keys. The Key Lime business flourished into the mid 1920's.
It was, however, in the Florida Keys where its popular American name took hold. The Bartender's Lime, as it is referred to, is a part of the culture of the Florida Keys, most notably Key West. The Bartender's lime became a part of many of the drinks of the Key West Bar Scene and was preferred by the bartenders of the region. This, along with the famous Key Lime pies and all the unique receipts offered by each proprietor, made the Key Lime forever associated with Key West Florida.
Today, the Mexican Lime remains an important part of the Mexican culture and into the Western states. The West Indian Lime remains an important part of the culinary community through the Middle East, into Africa, and on to Australia and New Zealand.
It's a popular home garden variety, but is only suited to the most hospitable climates, and is not even dependable in USDA zone 9. In fact, it has surpassed the popularity of the less thorny and more hardy, seedless Bearss Lime.
