The various citrus species will readily cross with one another to form hybrids. A great many popular market fruits are derived from crossing native citrus species. While most citrus trees are good garden plants in the warm USDA zones 9 to 11, gardeners in cooler zones can also grow them by potting them in large containers and keeping them well pruned to maintain a manageable size. The potting soil needs to be well-drained and kept uniformly moist. Keep the plants outdoors on a deck or patio during the warm season, then move them indoors to a bright location during the colder months. Here are 16 common citrus fruit trees for the garden.
Native Area: Asia USDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11Height: 8 to 30 feet, depending on the varietySun Exposure: Full sun
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Native Area: Spain, ItalyUSDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11; may need winter protection in zone 9Height: Up to 25 feetSun Exposure: Full sun
This citrus is not tolerant of freezing or windy conditions. It is drought-tolerant once established but needs plentiful water during the fruiting period. Other common names for this plant include calamondin orange, calamonsi, and Philippine lime.
Native Area: NA; this is a hybrid plantUSDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11Height: 6 to 15 feetSun Exposure: Full sun
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Native Area: Probably India (origins uncertain)USDA Growing Zones: 10 to 11Height: 10 to 15 feetSun Exposure: Full sun
huseyintuncer / Getty Images Grapefruit trees have long, glossy dark-green leaves. White flowers precede the development of fruit with yellow-orange skin. Grapefruit trees can tolerate brief dips below freezing, but they require good moisture and frequent feeding.
Native Area: CaribbeanUSDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11Height: 10 to 45 feet tallSun Exposure: Full sun
TaniaBertoni / Getty Images The Persian lime has denser foliage than most citrus trees, with rounded glossy green leaves that form a dense lower canopy. Clusters of white blooms in February and March precede fruits that are ready to eat by June through August. This plant is often grown in large containers, kept pruned to about 6 feet or less. Unlike many other citrus plants, this one has no thorns.
Native Area: NA; this is hybrid plantUSDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11Height: 15 to 20 feetSun Exposure: Full sun
Key lime trees need rich, well-draining soil that is kept consistently moist. The leaves are glossy deep green, oval in shape. The fragrant flowers precede small green fruit, about the size of a golf ball. The fruits are usually picked while they are green, but they will ripen to a yellow color.
Native Area: Indonesia and MalaysiaUSDA Growing Zones: 10 to 11Height: 10 to 12 feetSun Exposure: Full sun
Kumquat trees have narrow, medium-green leaves and vase-like growing habit with a rounded top. Fragrant white flowers in spring lead to slightly oval yellow-orange fruit. This is a citrus variety that has better cold-tolerance than most; it can survive temperatures down to about 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
Native Area: Southern Asia and Asia PacificUSDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11; survives in zone 8 with protectionHeight: 4 to 14 feet, depending on the varietySun Exposure: Full sun
5second / Getty Images These plants can tolerate drought provided they do receive enough water during the fruiting period.
Native Area: Asia (exact origins are uncertain)USDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11Height: 10 to 30 feet, depending on the varietySun Exposure: Full sun
ozgurdonmaz / Getty Images The leaves of an orange tree are elongated and glossy green, and branches are often twisted with spiny protuberances. The white flowers are fragrant, and the fruits require 12 months or more to ripen. Orange trees are very sensitive to cold; temperatures below 35 degrees Fahrenheit may seriously harm the fruit.
Native Area: AsiaUSDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11; protection may be required in zone 9Height: Up to 25 feetSun Exposure: Full sun; may tolerate part shade
Mandarin oranges are grown as large shrubs or small trees that are nearly indistinguishable from standard orange trees. The leaves are oval in shape and glossy green. The branches are often twisted, with blunt spines. Blossoms appear in March and April, developing the slightly flattened round fruit that matures in about 6 to 8 months.
Native Area: AsiaUSDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11Height: 10 to 25 feetSun Exposure: Full sun
JulijaDmitrijeva / Getty Images In practice, the name tangerine is usually reserved for the types of C. Reticulata fruit that have red-orange skin. Some authorities see the Clementine as a well-known variety of tangerine, but others classify the Clementine as a hybrid cross between a sweet orange (C. x senensis) and the willowleaf mandarin orange (C. deliciosa).
Native Area: AsiaUSDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11Height: 10 to 25 feetSun Exposure: Full sun
joel-t / Getty Images The pummelo tree has a shape similar to that of a grapefruit tree, with glossy green leaves that form a dense canopy (this tree makes a good small shade tree). The fruits (when they finally appear) are very large—up to 12 inches in diameter, with removable rinds that reveal flesh that looks like that of grapefruit but which usually has a milder taste.
Native Area: Malaysia, Thailand, and southern China USDA Growing Zones: 10 to 11; may survive zone 9 with winter protectionHeight:10 to 20 feet tall; can grow up to 50 feet over timeSun Exposure: Full sun
La_vanda / Getty Images A tangelo tree has the familiar glossy dark-green leaves and growth habit common to orange trees, but it produces fruit that has a bulbous end. The flesh of the fruit is very juicy and usually quite sweet.
Native Area: NA; this is hybrid plantUSDA Growing Zones: 10 to 11Height: 10 to 15 feetSun Exposure: Full sun
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Native Area: JamaicaUSDA Growing Zones: 8 to 10Height: 15 to 20 feetSun Exposure: Full sun
This plant has the best cold hardiness of any citrus species, surviving temperatures down to zero degrees Fahrenheit. This allows it to be successfully grown outdoors across the southern U.S., up the Pacific Coast through Washington, and up the Atlantic Coast to the Carolinas.
Native Area: China, JapanUSDA Growing Zones: 7 to 11Height: 8 to 12 feetSun Exposure: Full sun
Well-drained soil that is kept moist but not soggy; protection from cold (temperatures below 30 degrees Fahrenheit will damage the fruit of most citrus trees); andAdequate sun—8 to 12 hours a day, if you expect to have good fruit. The idea environment for citrus trees is a Mediterranean-type climate, with warm, sunny days and cool (but not frosty) evenings.
