Fruits that contain L — 71 detailed entries

Below are fruits that contain the letter L anywhere in the name. Each of the 71 fruits below opens to a full profile.

Table of contents 71 entries

List of Fruits That Contain L

Acerola

Malpighia emarginata

A small bright-red Caribbean cherry-like fruit packed with extraordinarily high vitamin C — used in juices and supplements rather than fresh eating because of its short shelf life.

American Mayapple

Podophyllum peltatum

An odd umbrella-leafed forest plant with a single yellow fruit hidden under its canopy — edible only when fully ripe, and toxic in every other part.

The Indian gooseberry — a small, translucent greenish-yellow fruit of extreme sourness and bitterness, one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C; sacred in Hindu tradition and the foundation of Ayurvedic medicine for 5,000 years.

Apple

Malus domestica

A pome fruit of the rose family, originally from the mountains of Central Asia, now grown in over 7,500 named varieties across the temperate world.

Bael

Aegle marmelos

A sacred Indian fruit tree — the bael (Bengal quince or stone apple) is one of the most revered plants in Hinduism, its trifoliate leaves used in Shiva worship; the fruit is a hard-shelled sphere the size of a large orange, with dry, orange, aromatic flesh inside that is eaten fresh or made into a beloved Indian drink; dried bael slices are a staple of traditional Ayurvedic medicine.

Bilberry

Vaccinium myrtillus

A small dark blue European wild berry — close cousin of the blueberry, but smaller, darker, more intensely flavored, and almost impossible to cultivate commercially.

Black Sapote

Diospyros nigra

A green-skinned Mexican fruit whose ripe interior turns into a thick chocolate-pudding-like brown mash — eaten with a spoon or used as a vegan chocolate substitute.

Blackberry

Rubus fruticosus

A glossy black aggregate fruit of bramble vines — fierce wild thickets across temperate regions and the most-foraged fruit in many countries, with intense sweet-tart flavor and abundant seeds.

Blackcurrant

Ribes nigrum

A small intensely-flavored European berry that's a household staple in Britain and Eastern Europe but virtually unknown in the US — banned for decades to protect the timber industry.

Blood Orange

Citrus × sinensis

A red-fleshed orange variety from Sicily and Spain — its dramatic red color comes from anthocyanins triggered by cold winter nights, a chemistry trick most citrus regions can't replicate.

Blueberry

Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush) / V. angustifolium (lowbush)

A small, deep-blue North American berry famous for its high antioxidant content, eaten fresh or in baked goods, jams, and breakfast cereals.

Calamansi

Citrus × microcarpa (syn. Calamondin)

A tiny citrus from Southeast Asia — a cross between mandarin orange and kumquat, producing a small round fruit with orange flesh and a thin green skin; intensely sour with aromatic orange notes, indispensable in Filipino and Malaysian cooking.

Canistel

Pouteria campechiana

A bright orange Caribbean fruit (also called egg-fruit) with the dry mealy texture of a hard-boiled egg yolk — eaten fresh, in shakes, or as a chilled custard.

Cantaloupe

Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis (European); var. reticulatus (American)

An orange-fleshed netted melon — the muskmelon of summer markets, named after a papal estate in Italy, eaten chilled with prosciutto or as a breakfast staple.

Carolina Reaper

Capsicum chinense

A bred-for-extreme chili pepper that held the Guinness record as the world's hottest from 2013 to 2023, with an averaged 1.6 million Scoville heat units.

Caviar Lime

Citrus australasica

An Australian rainforest citrus whose elongated finger-shaped fruits burst with translucent pearl-like vesicles — a high-end garnish that exploded in popularity with molecular cuisine.

Chile Pepper

Capsicum (genus, multiple species)

A diverse family of fiery fruits from the Capsicum genus — used fresh, dried, smoked, ground, and fermented across nearly every world cuisine.

Clementine

Citrus × clementina

A small, easy-peeling, seedless winter mandarin — accidentally created in an Algerian orphanage garden in 1902, now the most popular winter snack citrus in Western countries.

Cloudberry

Rubus chamaemorus

A rare orange-amber Arctic berry that grows in remote bogs across the boreal north — Scandinavia's most prized wild berry, with no commercial cultivation despite decades of attempts.

Crab Apple

Malus sylvestris (European wild crab); Malus hupehensis and others (ornamental crab varieties)

The wild ancestor of all cultivated apples — small, intensely sour or bitter fruits from wild and ornamental trees, generally too harsh to eat raw but exceptional for making jelly, cider, and crab apple wine; the pectin-rich juice gels easily and the flavour — honeyed, floral, and tart — is unlike any cultivated apple.

Elderberry

Sambucus nigra (European); Sambucus canadensis (North American)

A small dark purple-black berry from the elder shrub, eaten cooked into syrups, wines, and preserves — toxic when raw, beloved when properly prepared.

Falsa

Grewia asiatica

A small purple-black South Asian summer berry beloved for its tangy-sweet juice that's said to ward off heatstroke — a Pakistani-Indian street-food staple.

Finger Lime

Citrus australasica

An Australian native citrus shaped like a small finger that releases tiny "caviar pearls" of tart citrus juice when cut open — a fine-dining garnish prized for its visual drama and crisp acidity.

Galia Melon

Cucumis melo var. reticulatus

An aromatic Israeli muskmelon hybrid created in the 1970s — netted yellow skin with pale green sweet flesh, considered the most fragrant of the supermarket melons.

Hala Fruit

Pandanus tectorius

A spectacular spiked Pacific Islander fruit that looks like a colorful pineapple-grenade hybrid — eaten fresh in some islands, used as floss thread or paint brush in others.

Huckleberry

Vaccinium membranaceum and others

A wild dark berry of the western North American mountains — beloved by hikers, hunted by bears, and impossible to cultivate, sustaining a regional Pacific Northwest jam-and-pie economy.

Jalapeno

Capsicum annuum

A medium-hot Mexican chili pepper with thick walls and bright vegetal heat — eaten fresh, pickled, smoked into chipotles, or stuffed and breaded.

Jambul

Syzygium cumini

A purple-black Indian summer fruit (also called jamun, java plum) with bright purple juice that stains everything — a beloved street snack and a classic Ayurvedic remedy for diabetes.

Japanese Plum

Prunus salicina

An East Asian plum species that's the basis for most modern American supermarket plums — large, juicy, with red or yellow skin and easily separated flesh from a small pit.

Kaffir Lime

Citrus hystrix

A bumpy-skinned Southeast Asian citrus whose **leaves matter more than the fruit** — fragrant double-lobed leaves are an essential herb in Thai, Malaysian, and Indonesian cooking.

Langsat

Lansium parasiticum

A small, grape-sized tropical fruit of Southeast Asia — langsat grows in tight pendant clusters on the trunk and branches of tall trees, with thin, yellow-brown skin that releases a milky latex when broken; the translucent, jelly-like flesh is divided into segments, varying from sweet-tart to slightly bitter depending on how the seed is handled when eating; a beloved fresh fruit in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Lemon

Citrus limon

A bright yellow citrus with sharply acidic juice and aromatic peel — possibly the single most-used fruit in the global kitchen for its capacity to brighten everything.

Lime

Citrus aurantiifolia (Key); Citrus latifolia (Persian); others

A small, intensely acidic green citrus — the namesake of "limey" sailors, the soul of margaritas and ceviche, with the Persian and Key versions producing distinct flavors despite similar appearance.

Lingonberry

Vaccinium vitis-idaea

A small, tart red berry of the boreal forests of Scandinavia, North America, and Russia — similar in appearance to cranberry but smaller and sharper; the essential condiment of Swedish cuisine, served with meatballs, game, and pancakes.

Loganberry

Rubus × loganobaccus

A 19th-century California garden hybrid — half blackberry, half raspberry, dark red, intensely flavored, and the historical ancestor of modern boysenberries and tayberries.

Longan

Dimocarpus longan

A small Asian fruit related to lychee but smaller, milder, and with a clear translucent flesh — the "dragon eye" of Chinese markets, eaten fresh or dried as a tonic ingredient.

Loquat

Eriobotrya japonica

A small orange-yellow Asian fruit with sweet-tart flesh and a few large seeds — common in Mediterranean and Asian gardens but rarely in supermarkets, eaten fresh, in jam, or in liqueur.

Lucuma

Pouteria lucuma

A subtropical Peruvian fruit with pale yellow flesh, a sweet flavour of maple, sweet potato, and vanilla combined, and very low sugar content despite its sweetness — a pre-Inca sacred fruit now popularised as a health-food sweetener globally.

Lulo

Solanum quitoense

A bright orange Andean fruit (also called naranjilla) that looks like a small tomato but tastes like a tart pineapple-citrus-rhubarb mash — a Colombian and Ecuadorian breakfast-juice essential.

Lychee

Litchi chinensis

A small Chinese fruit with rough red shell and translucent white flesh of perfumed sweetness — a 2,000-year-old delicacy referenced in Chinese poetry and one of the most prized tropical fruits.

Magellan Barberry

Berberis microphylla

A small dark Patagonian berry (also called calafate) — Tierra del Fuego's iconic fruit, with a folk legend that whoever eats one will return to Patagonia.

Mamey Apple

Mammea americana

A large Caribbean fruit (Mammea americana, distinct from mamey sapote) with intensely fragrant orange flesh — eaten fresh, stewed, or fermented into Antillean wines and liqueurs.

Medlar

Mespilus germanica

An ancient European fruit that must be eaten after it has partially rotted (bletting) — small, brown, and unprepossessing, with a sweet, apple-butter-like flesh consumed only after frost has softened it; beloved in medieval Europe, nearly forgotten today.

Melon

Cucumis melo

The general category covering hundreds of *Cucumis melo* varieties — cantaloupes, honeydews, galias, casabas, and dozens more — eaten across cultures from breakfast to dessert.

Meyer Lemon

Citrus × meyeri

A sweeter, thinner-skinned lemon with floral orange notes — a natural hybrid of lemon and mandarin orange discovered in China and popularised in California; prized for its edible skin, minimal bitterness, and fragrant juice.

Miracle Fruit

Synsepalum dulcificum

A small West African red berry that **temporarily makes sour foods taste sweet** — chewing one transforms lemon and vinegar into sugary treats for about an hour.

Monstera Deliciosa

Monstera deliciosa

The fruit of the Swiss cheese plant — a fragrant tropical curiosity that ripens over 12 months, tastes like pineapple-banana, and is mildly toxic until fully ripe.

Mouse Melon

Melothria scabra

A grape-sized Mexican vine fruit (also called Mexican sour gherkin or cucamelon) that looks exactly like a tiny watermelon but tastes like a tart cucumber-lime.

Mulberry

Morus alba, Morus nigra, Morus rubra

A long, blackberry-like fruit grown across temperate regions of the world — often available free from neighborhood trees, vital for silkworms, and beloved by birds.

Musk Melon

Cucumis melo var. reticulatus

The catch-all category for fragrant netted-skin melons including American cantaloupes — named for the musky aroma of fully ripe fruit, central to summer fruit traditions worldwide.

Olive

Olea europaea

A small drupe whose **inedible-fresh** bitter flesh becomes an essential Mediterranean food only after curing — eaten as table olives or pressed into the world's oldest culinary oil.

Physalis

Physalis peruviana

The golden berry in a papery lantern — physalis (cape gooseberry) is a small, bright orange berry enclosed in a papery husk that peels back like a Chinese lantern to reveal the sweet-sharp fruit inside; used as a decorative garnish on desserts, eaten fresh, and made into jam; not related to the gooseberry despite the name.

Pineapple

Ananas comosus

A tropical multiple fruit with spiky armor and a crown of leaves, sweet and acidic, eaten fresh, juiced, grilled, or canned.

Plantain

Musa × paradisiaca

A starchier cousin of the banana, eaten cooked across tropical cuisines from West Africa to Latin America to South Asia — fried, mashed, boiled, or grilled, but rarely raw.

Plum

Prunus domestica (European); Prunus salicina (Japanese)

A small to medium-sized stone fruit of the rose family, with hundreds of varieties from the deep purple Damson of Britain to the golden Mirabelle of Lorraine — eaten fresh, dried into prunes, or made into liqueurs and sauces.

Plumcot

Prunus salicina × Prunus armeniaca

A 50/50 plum-apricot hybrid created by Luther Burbank in the 1880s — the original parent of pluots, apriums, and the entire modern stone-fruit hybrid family.

Pomelo

Citrus maxima

The largest of all citrus fruits — a yellow-green Southeast Asian giant with thick pith and sweet, mild grapefruit-like flesh, an ancestor species of the modern grapefruit.

Rose Apple

Syzygium jambos and Syzygium samarangense

A pear-shaped Southeast Asian fruit (also called wax apple or jambu) with crisp pale flesh, sweet rosewater scent, and a near-empty hollow center — eaten fresh as a hot-weather refresher.

Salak

Salacca zalacca

An Indonesian fruit (also called snake fruit) with reddish-brown scaly skin like a snake's, garlic-pineapple flavor, and deep ties to Balinese cultural ceremony.

Salal

Gaultheria shallon

A small dark Pacific Northwest forest berry — central to Coast Salish foodways, more ornamental than commercial today, but a foundation of Indigenous coastal cuisine for millennia.

Salmonberry

Rubus spectabilis

A bright orange-pink Pacific Northwest forest raspberry — eaten fresh by hikers, cooked traditionally by Coast Salish peoples, a key indicator of healthy temperate rainforest ecology.

Sapodilla

Manilkara zapota

A small brown tropical fruit with grainy sweet flesh tasting of brown sugar and pear — the same species as chico fruit, with an even longer history as the original chewing-gum source.

Seville Orange

Citrus aurantium

The bitter orange used for the world's most celebrated marmalade — too sour and pungent to eat fresh, its thick peel and intensely flavoured juice are perfect for jam-making; the brief winter season (January–February) is eagerly awaited by British marmalade makers, and the orange's history in Spain stretches to the Moorish period.

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Acerola	American Mayapple	Amla	Apple
Bael	Bilberry	Black Sapote	Blackberry
Blackcurrant	Blood Orange	Blueberry	Calamansi
Canistel	Cantaloupe	Carolina Reaper	Caviar Lime
Chile Pepper	Clementine	Cloudberry	Crab Apple
Elderberry	Falsa	Finger Lime	Galia Melon
Hala Fruit	Huckleberry	Jalapeno	Jambul
Japanese Plum	Kaffir Lime	Langsat	Lemon
Lime	Lingonberry	Loganberry	Longan
Loquat	Lucuma	Lulo	Lychee
Magellan Barberry	Mamey Apple	Medlar	Melon
Meyer Lemon	Miracle Fruit	Monstera Deliciosa	Mouse Melon
Mulberry	Musk Melon	Olive	Physalis
Pineapple	Plantain	Plum	Plumcot
Pomelo	Rose Apple	Salak	Salal
Salmonberry	Sapodilla	Seville Orange	Sloe
Star Apple	Tamarillo	Tangelo	Ugli Fruit
Victoria Plum	Watermelon	Zucchini (botanical fruit)