Limequat
Citrus × floridana · Rutaceae · also known as Limequat, Eustis, Lakeland, Tavares
A small oval citrus crossing a lime with a kumquat — sharply sour flesh wrapped in a thin, sweet, edible rind, so you can pop the whole fruit at once. A cold-hardy, heavy-bearing hybrid bred in Florida for lime flavor in cooler climates.
At a glance
- Taste
- Tart and limey inside, with a thin, sweet-to-mildly-bitter edible peel like a kumquat's; eaten whole, it delivers a burst of sweet-sour citrus, rind and juice together.
- Origin
- Florida, USA (bred by the USDA, 1909)
- Grown in
- United States, Australia, Spain
- Peak season
- Autumn, Winter
Sensory & practical profile
Taste fingerprint
- Sweetness
- Tartness
- Aroma
- Juiciness
- Firmness
Approximate, at peak ripeness · 0–5
- Ripe when
- Plump and glossy, turning from green to yellow; yellower fruit has a sweeter skin and mellower juice.
- How to eat
- Pop the whole fruit in your mouth — the sweet thin rind balances the sour flesh — or use it as a fragrant lime substitute.
- Typical price
- Everyday
The limequat gives you lime flavor where limes can''t grow — its kumquat parent makes it cold-hardy — and because the peel is sweet and thin, you eat the whole fruit at once, sour center and all.
When it's in season, by region
| Region | Peak months |
|---|---|
| North America | Oct–Feb (Florida, California) |
How to select & store
Picking a ripe one
Choose plump, glossy yellow-green fruit that gives slightly; fully yellow fruit is sweeter-skinned and less sharp. The whole fruit is eaten, so look for unblemished skins.
Storing it
A week or two refrigerated. The little fruits keep well and can be juiced and frozen; the peel candies nicely.
Practical uses
🍽️ Culinary
- Eaten whole, rind and all, like a sour kumquat
- A lime substitute in drinks, dressings, and cooking
- Marmalade, candied peel, and cordials
- Sliced into cocktails and iced tea
🌿 Health & traditional
- Vitamin-C-rich; used like other sour citrus in home remedies
🎎 Cultural
- A USDA hybrid from 1909, created to grow lime flavor where true limes freeze
- A popular ornamental and container citrus for its heavy crops of pretty fruit
Eating limequat: what to know
What regular consumption looks like
Limequat is a nutritious everyday fruit, best enjoyed as part of a varied diet. It is a good source of fibre (about 3 g per 100 g), which supports digestion and satiety. It is a good source of vitamin C (about 45 mg per 100 g), supporting immune function and helping the body absorb iron from plant foods.
Sensible amounts
A typical fruit serving is roughly a handful, one medium fruit, or about 80 g, and two or more varied fruit servings a day is a sensible everyday pattern.
Evidence & conditions
As a whole fruit, Limequat contributes fibre, vitamins, and beneficial plant compounds, but it has not been shown to treat or prevent any specific condition — so it is best enjoyed as part of a healthy diet rather than as a remedy.
Limequat: frequently asked questions
What does limequat taste like?
Tart and limey inside, with a thin, sweet-to-mildly-bitter edible peel like a kumquat's; eaten whole, it delivers a burst of sweet-sour citrus, rind and juice together.
When is limequat in season?
Limequat is typically in season North America (Oct–Feb (Florida, California)). Peak months shift between the northern and southern hemispheres.
How do you eat limequat?
Pop the whole fruit in your mouth — the sweet thin rind balances the sour flesh — or use it as a fragrant lime substitute.
How do you know when limequat is ripe?
Plump and glossy, turning from green to yellow; yellower fruit has a sweeter skin and mellower juice.
Is limequat good for you?
Limequat is a nutritious everyday fruit, best enjoyed as part of a varied diet. It is a good source of fibre (about 3 g per 100 g), which supports digestion and satiety. It is a good source of vitamin C (about 45 mg per 100 g), supporting immune function and helping the body absorb iron from plant foods.
How much limequat should you eat?
A typical fruit serving is roughly a handful, one medium fruit, or about 80 g, and two or more varied fruit servings a day is a sensible everyday pattern.
The limequat solves a citrus lover’s dilemma: how to grow lime flavor where true limes would freeze. Bred by the USDA in 1909 by crossing a lime with a cold-hardy kumquat, it’s a small oval fruit that carries a lime’s sharp sourness inside a thin, sweet, edible rind.
Pop the whole thing
Like its kumquat parent, the limequat is eaten whole — rind and all — so that a single bite delivers the sweet peel and the sour flesh together in a bright burst of citrus. That makes it a fun fresh nibble, but it earns its keep as a versatile lime substitute: squeezed into drinks, dressings, and cooking, candied, made into marmalade and cordials, and sliced into cocktails and iced tea. Heavy-bearing, cold-tolerant, and pretty enough to grow as an ornamental in a pot, it’s a clever little hybrid that brings the lime’s zing to gardens and kitchens well outside the tropics. For its parents, see the kumquat and key lime.
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In season with limequat
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