Sapindaceae
How to identify a mamoncillo tree
Melicoccus bijugatus · also called Spanish lime, genip, quenepa (Puerto Rico)
Grape-like clusters of small green fruit with thin skin and tangy-sweet pulp clinging to a large seed. A beloved roadside and dooryard snack fruit across the Caribbean and northern South America.
Field marks
These features are typical of the genus Melicoccus, so they help confirm you are looking at the right group; the fruit and the details below separate the species.
- Leaves are compound with two pairs of leaflets, which is what the species name bijugatus ('two-yoked') refers to.
- Fruit is small, round and green, in clusters, with a thin brittle skin.
Check a photo
Photograph one whole, mature leaf from above, or a flower or fruit, and the identifier will return ranked matches. If mamoncillo is the top result, the field marks above are your second opinion.
Leaves, flowers, fruit, or bark — closer and sharper identifies better. Your photo is identified and discarded, never stored.
Where and when you will find it
- Origin / cultivation history
- Northern South America and the Caribbean
- USDA zones
- 10b-11
- Climate
- Tropical, fairly drought-tolerant once established.
- Fruiting season
- July and August (typical, Northern Hemisphere)
- How often grown
- Uncommon in cultivation
Fruit is the most reliable way to confirm an identification, so July and August is the easiest window. Outside it, rely on the leaves and the overall habit. A tree growing well outside the climate above is more likely to be a look-alike.
Growing it: seedling or grafted?
A young tree with no fruit is harder to identify and easy to mislabel, so it helps to know how long it takes to reach fruiting age and how it is usually propagated.
- Years to first fruit
- Seedling 5-8 yrs; grafted 3-4 yrs
- Propagation
- Grafting for named selections; seed (seedlings vary in fruitfulness — trees run a spectrum from mostly male to perfect-flowered).
Relatives in the Sapindaceae family
Close relatives share many features, so these are the most likely mix-ups.
- RambutanNephelium lappaceum
- PulasanNephelium ramboutan-ake
- LonganDimocarpus longan
- LycheeLitchi chinensis
- AckeeBlighia sapida
Map your mamoncillo trees
CanopyTwin keeps every tree on a map with its species, cultivar, photos and history, and counts flowers and fruit from survey photos. It is built for orchards, nurseries and collectors of tropical and rare fruit.
More identification guides: free plant identifier · tropical fruit tree identifier · fruit tree identifier · all species guides