Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Lemon Drop Mangosteen (Garcinia intermedia)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Lemon Drop Mangosteen, Camias, Mameyito.

More about lemon drop mangosteen

About Lemon Drop Mangosteen

Garcinia intermedia · also called Lemon Drop Mangosteen, Camias · tropical

Lemon Drop Mangosteen is a compact, fast-fruiting tropical tree celebrated for its bright yellow, zesty fruits with a sweet-tart lemon-like flavour. One of the more prolific Garcinias, it fruits within 2–4 years and performs well in large containers. It suits humid tropical and warm subtropical gardens and produces abundant crops even as a potted specimen.

Cold limit: USDA 9b-11 · RHS H1a (18–37°C)

Watch for — No fruiting in cool conditions: Temperatures below 10°C cause growth to stall and flower drop. Trees must be kept warm year-round; move container plants under cover before nighttime temperatures dip below 15°C.

What lemon drop mangosteen's hardiness rating actually means

Lemon Drop Mangosteen is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1a means: Tropical — needs a heated room or greenhouse; no frost tolerance whatsoever. On the US scale that maps to USDA 9b-11 — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly above about 15 °C (warm, never cold). Lemon Drop Mangosteen has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for lemon drop mangosteen as it gets too cold:

Below about above about 15 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can lemon drop mangosteen go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above above 15 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when lemon drop mangosteen can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1a figure above.

Lemon Drop Mangosteen hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is lemon drop mangosteen cold hardy?

Lemon Drop Mangosteen is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Lemon Drop Mangosteen can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 9b-11); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature lemon drop mangosteen can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly above about 15 °C (warm, never cold). Lemon Drop Mangosteen has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is lemon drop mangosteen?

Lemon Drop Mangosteen is rated USDA 9b-11 and RHS H1a — Tropical — needs a heated room or greenhouse; no frost tolerance whatsoever.

Can lemon drop mangosteen survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above above 15 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to lemon drop mangosteen below its minimum temperature?

Below about above about 15 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.