Calamondin
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Difficult One of the harder ones, and one of the reasons the diagnosis tool exists.
Also called Calamansi, calamondin orange, Panama orange, Philippine lemon and Philippine lime.
Calamondin is toxic
- Toxic to cats. Toxic principle: Essential oils and psoralens. Clinical signs: Vomiting, diarrhea, depression; potential photosensitivity (dermatitis). ASPCA
- Toxic to dogs. Toxic principle: Essential oils and psoralens. Clinical signs: Vomiting, diarrhea, depression; potential photosensitivity (dermatitis). ASPCA
- Toxic to people. Citrus bearing lemons or limes only: the fruit is a skin allergen and can harm skin exposed to sunlight. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it. RHS
What the sources say about its care
Sources file this plant under other names: Citrofortunella mitis (Clemson Extension), Citrus mitis (ASPCA). Citations below point at the name its source uses.
The sources disagree about light for this plant. Both readings are shown in the table below. This is the norm in houseplant advice rather than the exception.
- Light
The sources disagree. These do not describe the same conditions: Clemson Extension says "High light" and RHS says "Partial shade". Both are shown; this site does not pick between them.
High light 150–1000 fcClemson Extension, filed as Citrofortunella mitis · read 13 September 2026Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026- Water
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H3 — -5 to 1°C -5 to 1 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam, Sand; pH Acid or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- ToxicASPCA, filed as Citrus mitis · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- ToxicASPCA, filed as Citrus mitis · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- Citrus bearing lemons or limes only: the fruit is a skin allergen and can harm skin exposed to sunlight. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.RHS · read 13 September 2026
How it usually goes wrong
- Edges of the leaves brown while the middle stays sound
The calamondin browns at the very tips first, and the brown line creeps back along the edges over weeks. The tissue is dry and brittle, not soft.
Penn State Extension notes that most indoor plants benefit from more humidity than a home heated in winter provides. The leaf edge, furthest from the veins, is where the shortfall shows. That applies while it is grown indoors; its RHS rating of H3 describes a plant that also grows outside, where the air is seldom that dry.
Telling it apart: Look at the pot rim and the soil surface. A white crust points at a build-up from tap water or feed rather than at the air. Penn State also reports misting and pebble trays do little to the humidity around a plant.
Penn State ExtensionCalamondin brown leaf tips and edges: causes- Soft, sagging leaves low on the canopy in soil that has not dried
Colour goes before shape on a calamondin. The leaves deepest inside the canopy yellow evenly, stay soft to the touch, and the compost two inches down is still wet from the last watering.
A pot that does not dry between waterings keeps the roots in water rather than in damp soil, and the leaves above them yellow for want of what those roots can no longer send up.
Telling it apart: Two inches down with a finger. Above the soil, drowning and thirst look the same; below it they are opposites.
RHSCalamondin drooping or wilting: causes- Split, browned leaves on the side of the canopy facing the wind
The damage on the calamondin is one-sided and appeared all at once: browned margins, splits and bruised leaves facing the prevailing wind, while the sheltered side is clean.
Its source lists a sheltered position. Wind strips moisture from the leaves and knocks them together, and a plant that is not suited to exposure shows both kinds of damage.
Telling it apart: Whether the sheltered side is clean. Wind marks only what it reaches.
RHSCalamondin brown leaf tips and edges: causes- Whitened areas where the sun falls longest
Upper surfaces lose colour while the undersides stay green, and nothing below the top of the canopy is touched.
Sun through a window on a still day heats a leaf far above the air around it. Its source describes partial shade; the glass adds the heat that does the damage.
Telling it apart: The edge of the damage. Scorch has a sharp boundary; rot and infection have a soft, spreading one.
RHSDiagnose leaf drop on this Calamondin
Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Calamondin.
Routine care
- Watering
- While growing in spring and summer, water generously and mist every day. Use a citrus fertiliser all year round as directed by the manufacturer; give little water in winter.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- Use a citrus fertiliser all year round, following the manufacturer’s directions; water sparingly in winter.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Stem cuttingsNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026In spring sow seed at 16°C; the seedlings differ from the parent type. In summer take semi-ripe cuttings.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning group 1; under glass, prune restrictively in winter or early spring.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by citrus mealybug, citrus whitefly and citrus leafminer.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Under glass, mealybugs, caterpillars, aphids, fluted scale, soft scale, glasshouse red spider mite and citrus red spider mite can occur. Diseases: usually none.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
- Native range
- AsiaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026PhilippinesRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- Tree; habit dense, erectNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Bushy (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 120–240 in; width 72–120 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 2.5-4 metres; spread 1.5-2.5 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers purple/lavender, white; blooms in spring, summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers white in spring and summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Uses
What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.
The fruit is edible and gives a tangy taste to drinks and dishes such as noodles.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Common problems with Calamondin
Other Citrus
Plants with similar care
Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Clemson Extension · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.