Spanish lime, Mamoncillo, Genip
Melicoccus bijugatus

Family: Sapindaceae

What it is like

A large evergreen tree. It grows up to 20 m tall. The trunk is smooth and pale grey. The inner bark is orange-brown. The crown is dense, round and compact. Trees are separately male and female. Where bisexual flowers occur these normally do not set fruit unless cross pollinated. The flowers are small and greenish. They are in crowded, long stemmed clusters. The fruit is medium sized with green skin and white or yellow pulp. They are 3 cm across. The skin is tough. There is one seed inside. Fruit hang in clusters near the end of branches and look like grapes. There are several named cultivated varieties.

There are 2 Melicoccus species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It suits the hot tropical lowlands. It is native to tropical America. It grows up to 1,000 m above sea level in tropical America. It is sensitive to cold. Plants are damaged by temperatures near freezing. It can grow on a range of soils. It is more common in dry areas. It is resistant to drought. It can weather strong tropical storms. It cannot tolerate frost. In Brisbane Botanical Gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Amazon, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Caribbean, Central Africa (country/location of origin), Central America, Colombia (country/location of origin), Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Ghana, Grenada, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Marquesas, Mexico, Nicaragua, North America, Pacific, Panama, Philippines, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, Senegal, Singapore, South America, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, USA, Venezuela (country/location of origin), West Africa, West Indies

How it is used for food

The fruit is eaten fresh. It is also made into drinks and cooked. They are used in pies, jams, jellies, marmalades and drinks. The seeds are roasted and eaten. CAUTION: Because of the size of the fruit and the fact that they are very slippery, care should be taken that they are not swallowed and block the wind pipe of children.

They are sold in markets. It is a cultivated plant.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds, kernel

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. The plants vary in quality and yield. Better varieties are air-layered or grafted.

Trees develop slowly. They take 7-10 years to produce fruit from seed. They can take 4-5 years to fruit from layers. The fruit take 90-150 days to mature. They store and transport well.

Its other names

Local names

Genipe, Ginep, Ginip, Grosella de miel, Guayo, Guenepa, Guinep, Honey-berry, Kanappy, Kenep, Kinep, Knippa, Limoncillo, Mamon, Mamoncillo, Pitomba-das-guianas, Quenep

Synonyms

Melicocca bijuga L.; Melicoccus bijuga L.; Melicoccus carpopodea Juss.; Schinus melicoccus L.;