PlantFiles: Porcupine Orange, Thai Bai Makrut
Citrus hystrix

I have a dwarf plant in a 31" diameter x 28" high container. It gets some scales and aphids on the undersides of the newer leaves, not on the tender tips or the older leaves, but on the "teenage" leaves. These bugs don't seem to really hurt the plant yet, but if I really need to I can wipe them out with an oil spray in winter. The plant experienced some leaf drop, probably because of under-watering, but the overall health of the tree did not seem to be affected.

The leaves and the rinds are highly aromatic and are perfectly capable of making a dish taste like citrus furniture polish. Use it very sparingly.

This plant can grow as high as 20' . It is a must in "Tom Yum" Thai cooking. USDA does not like this plant especially in Florida where orange are grown.

I have had my kaffir lime since last year. I planted it in the ground where it basically gets full sun all day. It was about 2 feet tall when I planted it and it sent up a crazy shoot shortly thereafter that is about 8 feet tall. We had bad leaf miners last year on all of our citrus here in Galveston, but this year so far none to speak of. I love the way the leaves on this tree are so pungent and that it has such vicious thorns. We did have some light freezing weather this past winter, but the lime was unfazed and never lost any leaves. It has not yet bloomed for me, but I am far more interested in the leaves than the fruit. A very good tree!

My experience with this plant has been mixed. It thrives with full sunlight and high humidity (approximating its tropical origins). It WILL grow as a container plant at northerly latitudes. However, in the winter time, if placed in a warm (and consequently dry) spot, it becomes extremely susceptible to pests, especially scale and spider mite. Once infested, the plant has to be destroyed to prevent spread. I have found it impossible to eradicate scale and spider mite infestation whose nymphs are microscopic. Once weakened by pests, the plant will experience massive leaf drop and wither away. Consequently quarantine all new plants from prized specimens.

Seedlings and young plants are cold tolerant only to about 45 F or so, so plan appropriately if starting from seed. Small trees (with insulated woody stems) can tolerate colder weather to near or at freezing.

Citrus growing is a well developed industry, and there are many sources of grafted trees. These may be a worthy investment, especially if you want a fruiting tree. But the Wild Lime is mostly grown for its leaves used in Southeast Asian cooking, so the fruit is actually of secondary importance.

I have grown a Kaffir Line in a pot on my deck in Georgia (USA) for four years. It is now about 6 feet tall. It comes inside and placed by a sunny window in the winter. Beware of spider mites if you do this! I use the leaves for cooking or give them to my friend's wife who is from Thailand. She also growns a Kaffir Lime. Her tree is also about as tall as mine but a lot more bushy. She fertilizes it with spoiled milk and says it is an old Thai secret. It seems to work nicely!!?? I have observed no blossoms or fruit on either plant as of yet. A source for Kaffir Lime leaves is a must if you are experimenting with Thai recipies. G

I think the real attraction of the Kaffir Lime, for me at least, is the ease with which a small investment (~1.00$) can provide all the Kaffir's anyone could possibly want. Go to a grocery store witha generous produce section (I went to New Seasons) and buy 1 Kaffir lime. Now you have about 20 seeds. Clean them up and dry them off (I gave a tap water wash and left them on a paper towel over night) now you have the potoential to have about 8-10 Kaffir tree's. Try the same trick with a Lemon, Lime or Grapefruit...uh, no I guess not, none of those grow true from seed. Unless you just have to have a full sized tree *Right Now* then dont waste your money. I started my seeds last spring and my largest Kaffir is now around 3-4 feet tall. Decient resistance to pests (and I had nearly every indoor pest one can name over the winter) and though not cold hardy here in Z8b I still plan to plant one of my seedlings on the south side of my property, just to see if it will fly. Will let you all know how it goes.

Very popular in Thai and Cambodian cooking as the fruit can be candied or it can be dried and used in curry pastes. The fruits can also be eaten with fish or made into drinks. The dried leaves are used in soups and curries. Only hardy in zones 9 - 10.

We have been fortunate enough to have a Kaffir Lime tree for four years now. It is in a pot as we live in Zone 7 and have to bring it inside during the cold weather. We love to make Thai dishes using the Kaffir leaves. Incredible flavor. Don't let the thorns intimidate you!

Handsome tree, can be made even nicer with a bit of pruning, so far has not failed us in giving at least some harvest every year (we are not at all lucky with other types of limes), yields very aromatic fruit, and on top of that, its leaves have a fine citronella scent when crushed - they can be used in exotic dishes or just to smell and enjoy. Lovely tree, we like it.