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Calamondin

Citrus × microcarpa

A small, cold-hardy citrus, probably a cross of kumquat and mandarin, that bears tart little fruit for much of the year. It's a staple of Filipino cooking, where it's called kalamansi, and one of the best citrus for pots and patios.

Tree facts

Scientific name
Citrus × microcarpa
Origin
Philippines and southern China
Tree size
6–15 ft; stays small in a pot
Growth rate
Medium
Sun
Full sun; tolerates some shade
Soil
Any soil that drains well, including sand. Never waterlogged; plant high where water stands.
Soil pH
6.0–7.5
Pollination
Self-fertile; one tree is enough
Cold hardiness
Takes about 20°F once established
USDA zones
9–11
Years to first fruit
1–2 for a grafted or rooted tree
Season
Year-round
Water
About every 7 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young
Feeding
About every 60 days, Feb–Oct
Pruning
Mar–Apr
Taste
Very sour, like a lime with an orange's aroma; the thin peel is sweet
Nutrition
Good source of vitamin C

Is calamondin safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

  • Juice
  • Whole fruit, cooked into marmalade or preserves

Toxic parts and cautions

  • Take care: Citrus juice or peel oil left on the skin in strong sun can cause a burn-like rash that darkens the skin for weeks (phytophotodermatitis). Wash your hands after peeling or squeezing fruit outdoors.

Pets: The peel, leaves and seeds contain essential oils (limonene, linalool) and psoralens that can cause vomiting, drooling and skin irritation in dogs and cats. A bite of the flesh is usually harmless.

How to eat and enjoy calamondin

  • Squeezed over pancit, grilled fish and fried foods (Philippines)
  • Kalamansi juice, sweetened with honey or sugar
  • Dipping sauce with soy sauce and chili
  • Marinades
  • Marmalade

When it's ripe

Use green to orange. Filipino cooks often pick them green or turning, when they're tartest; fully orange fruit is a bit sweeter. Ripe fruit hangs on the tree a long time.

Storing it

A few days at room temperature, 1–2 weeks in the fridge. The juice freezes well in ice-cube trays.

Calamondin varieties (1)

  • Variegated · also Variegated Calamondin

    A calamondin with cream-and-green leaves and fruit striped green and cream until it ripens orange. The fruit is used just like the standard type.

    Popular as a patio and indoor plant.

Pests and diseases to watch for

  • Citrus greening (HLB)

    Blotchy, uneven yellowing that isn't the same on both halves of a leaf; small, lopsided, bitter fruit that stays green at the bottom; twig dieback.

    What to do: There's no cure. Keep the tree well fed with a complete citrus fertilizer and micronutrients to slow decline.

    A regulated disease in Florida, Texas, California and elsewhere. If you suspect it, contact your county extension office or the state agriculture department.

  • Citrus leafminer

    Silvery, winding tunnels in young leaves, which curl and twist.

    What to do: Mostly cosmetic on mature trees; leave them be.

  • Scale insects

    Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

    What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

  • Mealybugs

    White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

    What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.

  • Aphids

    Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.

    What to do: Spray off with water.

  • Sooty mold

    Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.

    What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.

Growing calamondins? Let Gardyn keep track.

Gardyn tells you when your calamondin needs water based on your local weather, reminds you to feed and prune in season, and keeps every harvest and photo.

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General guidance, not medical or veterinary advice. Poison Control (US): 1-800-222-1222. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435.