Ogeechee Lime

Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Although the AC Moore Herbarium list of South Carolina’s plant distribution shows Ogeechee lime, Nyssa ogeche, as documented in only Jasper and Beaufort counties, there is a specimen growing at Moore Farms Botanical Garden in Lake City. It’s obviously a female tree, which has mostly female flowers but also some perfect ones, as it produces fruits. Stan McKenzie, aka the Citrus Man, who lives in nearby Olanta, has gone over and collected the juicy fruits this tree produces (they’re used as a substitute for limes due to their bitterness). They germinate readily when planted right away and Stan has a nice collection of them in his nursery. I’m planning to ride over one day soon to get some and plant them in my yard – it doesn’t matter if they’re male or female both are magnets for pollinators.