# Lime Tree (*Sphaenorhynchus pauloalvini*)

The Lime Tree is a small tree that gives us tasty green limes. These limes are zesty and perfect for adding flavor to drinks and dishes!

- **Category:** [Trees](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/tree)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Warm, tropical areas
- **Also known as:** Lime Tree (Linden), Linden

![Lime Tree](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771426257/objects/4826.jpg)

## Appearance

The Lime Tree is a small, bushy tree with glossy, dark green oval leaves. It has delicate white or purplish-tinged flowers and produces distinctive small, round to oval, bright green fruits that can turn yellow when fully ripe.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida

## Interesting facts

- A single mature lime tree can produce hundreds of zesty fruits every year.
- Ancient sailors ate limes to prevent scurvy, a serious illness, on long sea voyages!
- Some lime varieties are actually yellow when fully ripe, not just green!
- The zest (outer peel) of a lime holds powerful, fragrant oils used worldwide.

## Special abilities

- **Sweet Scent Beacon:** Lime Tree can produce highly fragrant flowers, attracting essential insect pollinators like bees to help it reproduce.
- **Year-Round Greenery:** Lime Tree has evergreen leaves, allowing it to photosynthesize and produce energy continually throughout the year.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 2-7 m
- **Spread:** 2-5 m
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Size:** 10-30 cm
- **Lifespan:** 50-150 years
- **Fruit Type:** Lime fruit
- **Growth Rate:** Medium
- **Leaf Type:** Evergreen

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Visits fragrant flowers to collect nectar and pollen.
- **Eats:** Citrus Leafminer (*Phyllocnistis citrella*) — Larvae tunnel and feed within the lime tree's young leaves.
- **Eats:** [Human](https://www.snappit.app/explore/human) (*Homo sapiens*) — Cultivates and consumes the delicious and tangy lime fruit.
- **Eats:** Spirea Aphid (*Aphis spiraecola*) — Feeds on young shoots, sucking sap and weakening the tree.

## Traits

- [Aromatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aromatic): Aromatic plants produce and emit fragrant volatile organic compounds, often for defense or to attract pollinators.
- [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once.
- [Fruit Tree](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-tree): A fruit tree is a perennial tree that produces fruit, which is edible to humans or animals.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.

## Collections

- [Trees](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/trees)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Do not pick or eat anything you find. Some plants and mushrooms can be harmful.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Lime Tree?

Compare leaves or needles, how they attach to the twig, buds, bark and the shape of the crown. Lobed leaves are useful clues, but several unrelated trees share a similar outline. Tree Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Lime Tree?

2-7 m

### How wide does Lime Tree spread?

2-5 m

### Is Lime Tree edible?

Yes

### How big is Lime Tree?

10-30 cm

### How long does Lime Tree live?

50-150 years

### Where is Lime Tree usually found?

Warm, tropical areas

### What kind of fruit does Lime Tree produce?

Lime fruit

## Where to spot

- [Schlosspark Nymphenburg (München)](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/nymphenburg-palace-park-munich) — Bayern, DE · Park
- [Forstbaumschule (Kiel)](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/forstbaumschule-kiel) — Schleswig-Holstein, DE · Park
- [Schlosspark Heusenstamm](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/de-0388-schlosspark-heusenstamm) — Hessen, DE · Park
- [Rosengarten Bamberg](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/rosengarten-bamberg) — Bayern, DE · Park
- [Schlossgarten Dieburg](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/de-0386-schlossgarten-dieburg) — Hessen, DE · Park
- [Schlosspark Neuhardenberg](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/schlosspark-neuhardenberg) — Brandenburg, DE · Park

[View all places to see Lime Tree](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/lime-tree)

## More Trees

- [English Oak](https://www.snappit.app/explore/english-oak) (*Quercus robur*)
- [Sessile Oak](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sessile-oak) (*Quercus petraea*)
- [Northern Red Oak](https://www.snappit.app/explore/northern-red-oak) (*Quercus rubra*)
- [White Oak](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-oak) (*Quercus alba*)

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Source: [Lime Tree: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/lime-tree)