{"product_id":"citrus-hystrix-kaffir-lime","title":"Citrus hystrix – Kaffir Lime","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCitrus hystrix\u003c\/em\u003e, the kaffir lime or makrut lime, is grown for its leaves rather than its fruit. Each leaf is double lobed, one segment above the other, glossy dark green and intensely aromatic when torn. The tree is a thorny evergreen and the fruit is small, dark and deeply knobbled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMature size is 2 to 4 metres tall and 2 to 3 metres wide, with moderate growth in warmth. It is frost sensitive and suits subtropical to warm temperate gardens, wanting full sun, humus rich free draining soil and consistent moisture. In cooler areas a north facing wall or a movable pot makes the difference.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt belongs in any garden where Thai and Southeast Asian food is cooked, and it is a standard planting in restaurant kitchen gardens. A single established tree supplies more leaves than a household can use, picked fresh year round. The glossy foliage and neat scale also let it sit as an ornamental in a courtyard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"margin:44px 0 16px;\"\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"font-size:14px;font-weight:500;letter-spacing:1.5px;margin:0 0 8px;padding-top:32px;border-top:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);text-transform:uppercase;color:currentColor;\"\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 24px;color:currentColor;opacity:0.65;font-size:14px;font-style:italic;\"\u003eAbout Kaffir Lime\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdetails style=\"border-bottom:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);padding:18px 0;\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"font-weight:500;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4;padding-right:12px;font-size:16px;color:currentColor;\"\u003eWhat is a kaffir lime tree?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin:14px 0 0;line-height:1.7;color:currentColor;opacity:0.85;\"\u003eCitrus hystrix is a thorny evergreen citrus native to Southeast Asia, also sold as makrut lime. Its distinctive feature is the double lobed leaf, which looks like two leaves joined end to end and carries a citrus aroma unlike anything else. Leaves, not fruit, are the reason it is planted.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails style=\"border-bottom:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);padding:18px 0;\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"font-weight:500;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4;padding-right:12px;font-size:16px;color:currentColor;\"\u003eWhat are kaffir lime leaves used for?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin:14px 0 0;line-height:1.7;color:currentColor;opacity:0.85;\"\u003eThey are a staple of Thai, Lao, Cambodian and Indonesian cooking, shredded finely into salads or dropped in whole to flavour curries, soups such as tom yum, and stir fries. The aroma is released by tearing or bruising the leaf. Leaves freeze well, so a single tree covers a year of cooking.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails style=\"border-bottom:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);padding:18px 0;\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"font-weight:500;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4;padding-right:12px;font-size:16px;color:currentColor;\"\u003eIs kaffir lime the same as makrut lime?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin:14px 0 0;line-height:1.7;color:currentColor;opacity:0.85;\"\u003eYes. Makrut lime is the Thai derived name for Citrus hystrix and is increasingly used in preference to the older term. Both names refer to the same plant, so nurseries and recipes using either one are describing identical trees and identical leaves.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails style=\"border-bottom:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);padding:18px 0;\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"font-weight:500;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4;padding-right:12px;font-size:16px;color:currentColor;\"\u003eHow big does Citrus hystrix grow?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin:14px 0 0;line-height:1.7;color:currentColor;opacity:0.85;\"\u003eIt reaches 2 to 4 metres tall and 2 to 3 metres wide, and regular leaf picking naturally keeps it smaller and bushier. Growth is moderate and slows markedly in cool weather. Because harvesting is itself a form of pruning, most trees settle at a comfortable height without any deliberate shaping.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails style=\"border-bottom:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);padding:18px 0;\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"font-weight:500;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4;padding-right:12px;font-size:16px;color:currentColor;\"\u003eIs kaffir lime frost tolerant?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin:14px 0 0;line-height:1.7;color:currentColor;opacity:0.85;\"\u003eNo, it is frost sensitive and cold damages the very foliage you are growing it for. It is reliable outdoors from the Sydney basin northwards and in warm sheltered gardens further south. In Melbourne and Adelaide, plant against a warm wall or keep it in a pot that can be moved under cover for winter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails style=\"border-bottom:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);padding:18px 0;\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"font-weight:500;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4;padding-right:12px;font-size:16px;color:currentColor;\"\u003eIs the fruit edible?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin:14px 0 0;line-height:1.7;color:currentColor;opacity:0.85;\"\u003eThe fruit is edible but has very little juice and a thick bumpy rind, so it is used mostly as zest in curry pastes rather than squeezed. Do not judge the plant by its fruit. Leaves are the crop, and the knobbly limes are best treated as a curiosity and a source of rind.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails style=\"border-bottom:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);padding:18px 0;\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"font-weight:500;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4;padding-right:12px;font-size:16px;color:currentColor;\"\u003eHow do I care for a kaffir lime tree?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin:14px 0 0;line-height:1.7;color:currentColor;opacity:0.85;\"\u003eWater consistently and never let it dry out badly, mulch the root zone, and feed with citrus fertiliser in early spring and again in midsummer. Pick leaves from all over the tree rather than stripping one branch. Wear gloves for the thorns and watch for citrus leaf miner, which distorts new growth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Evergreen Trees Direct","offers":[{"title":"200L","offer_id":46921278062791,"sku":"CITHYS200L","price":4840.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300L","offer_id":46921278095559,"sku":"CITHYS300L","price":6050.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.evergreentrees.com.au\/products\/citrus-hystrix-kaffir-lime","provider":"Evergreen Trees Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}