Key lime

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Key lime
Lime 01.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Citrus
Species:
C. ×aurantiifolia
Binomial name
Citrus ×aurantiifolia
(Christm.) Swingle

The Key lime or acid lime (Citrus × aurantiifolia or C. aurantifolia) is a citrus hybrid ( C. hystrix × C. medica ) native to tropical Southeast Asia. It has a spherical fruit, 2.5–5 centimetres (1–2 inches) in diameter. The Key lime is usually picked while it is still green, but it becomes yellow when ripe.

The Key lime has thinner rind and is smaller, seedier, more acidic and more aromatic than the Persian lime (Citrus × latifolia). It is valued for its characteristic flavor. The name comes from its association with the Florida Keys, where it is best known as the flavoring ingredient in Key lime pie. It is also known as West Indian lime, bartender's lime, Omani lime, or Mexican lime, the last classified as a distinct race with a thicker skin and darker green colour. Philippine varieties have various names, including dayap and bilolo. [1]

Etymology

The English word lime was derived, via Spanish then French, from the Arabic word ليمةlīma, which is, in turn, a derivation of the Persian word limuلیمو. [2] Key is from Florida Keys, where the fruit was naturalised. The earliest known use of the name is from 1905, where the fruit was described as "the finest on the market. It is aromatic, juicy, and highly superior to the lemon." [3]

Description

A tree full of key limes in West Bengal, India A tree full of key limes in West Bengal, India.jpg
A tree full of key limes in West Bengal, India

C. aurantiifolia is a shrubby tree, growing to 5 metres (16 feet), with many thorns. Dwarf varieties exist that can be grown indoors during winter months and in colder climates. Its trunk, which rarely grows straight, has many branches, and they often originate quite far down on the trunk. The leaves are ovate, 2.5–9 centimetres (1–3+1⁄2 inches) long, resembling orange leaves (the scientific name aurantiifolia referring to this resemblance to the leaves of Citrus aurantium ). The flowers are 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter, are yellowish white with a light purple tinge on the margins. Flowers and fruit appear throughout the year, but are most abundant from May to September in the Northern Hemisphere. [4] [5]

Skin contact can sometimes cause phytophotodermatitis, [6] [7] which makes the skin especially sensitive to ultraviolet light.

Taxonomy

Map of inferred original wild ranges of the main Citrus cultivars, and selected relevant wild taxa Map of inferred original wild ranges of the main Citrus cultivars, and selected relevant wild taxa (Fuller et al., 2017).png
Map of inferred original wild ranges of the main Citrus cultivars, and selected relevant wild taxa

The Key lime cultivar is a citrus hybrid, Citrus micrantha × Citrus medica (a papeda-citron cross). [9] [10] [11]

The Key lime has given rise to several other lime varieties. The best known, the triploid progeny of a Key lime-lemon cross, is the Persian lime (Citrus × latifolia), the most widely produced lime, globally. Others are, like their parent, classed within C. aurantiifolia. Backcrossing with citron has produced a distinct group of triploid limes that are also of commercial value to a limited degree, the seedy Tanepeo, Coppenrath, Ambilobe and Mohtasseb lime varieties as well as the Madagascar lemon. Hybridization with a mandarin-pomelo cross similar to the oranges has produced the Kirk lime. The New Caledonia and Kaghzi limes appear to have resulted from an F2 Key lime self-pollination, while a spontaneous genomic duplication gave us the tetraploid Giant Key lime. [12] [13] The potential to produce a wider variety of lime hybrids from the Key lime due to its tendency to form diploid gametes may reduce the disease risk presented by the limited diversity of the current commercial limes. [14]

Distribution and habitat

C. aurantiifolia is native to Southeast Asia. Its apparent path of introduction was through the Middle East to North Africa, then to Sicily and Andalucia and then, via Spanish explorers, to the West Indies, including the Florida Keys. Henry Perrine is credited with introducing the Key lime to Florida. [15] From the Caribbean, lime cultivation spread to tropical and subtropical North America, including Mexico, Florida, and later California.

Cultivation

Key lime is known as dayap in the Philippines, where it is native Dayap or Philippine keylime.jpg
Key lime is known as dayap in the Philippines, where it is native

History

In California in the late 19th century, "Mexican" limes were more highly valued than lemons; however, in Florida, they were generally considered weeds. Then, in 1894–95, the Great Freeze destroyed the Florida lemon groves, and farmers replanted Mexican limes instead; they soon became known as the Florida Key Lime, a "beloved regional crop". But when the 1926 Miami hurricane ripped them up, they were replanted with the hardier, thornless Persian limes. [16]

Since the North American Free Trade Agreement came into effect, most Key limes on the United States market have been grown in Mexico, Central America and South America. They are also grown in Texas, Florida, and California.

Propagation

Flowers of the Key lime plant Keylime-flower.jpg
Flowers of the Key lime plant

There are various approaches to the cultivation of Key limes. This variety of citrus can be propagated from seed and will grow true to the parent. The seeds must be kept moist until they can be planted, as they will not germinate if allowed to dry out. [ citation needed ] If the plants are propagated from seed, the seeds should be stored at least 5–6 months before planting. [17] Alternatively, vegetative propagation from cuttings or by air layering may permit fruit production within one year, and from genetically more predictable lines of plants. Another method, digging around a mature tree to sever roots, will encourage new sprouts that can be transplanted to another location. [ citation needed ] Clones are often bud grafted [18] into rough lemon or bitter orange to obtain strong root stocks.

It is often advisable to graft the plants onto rootstocks with low susceptibility to gummosis because seedlings generally are highly vulnerable to the disease. Useful rootstocks include wild grapefruit, cleopatra mandarin and tahiti limes. [17] C. macrophylla is also sometimes used as a rootstock in Florida to add vigor.

Climatic conditions and fruit maturation are crucial in cultivation of the lime tree. Under consistently warm conditions potted trees can be planted at any season, whereas in cooler temperate regions it is best to wait for the late winter or early spring. The Key lime tree does best in sunny sites, well-drained soils, [19] [20] good air circulation, and protection from cold wind. Because its root system is shallow, the Key lime is planted in trenches or into prepared and broken rocky soil to give the roots a better anchorage and improve the trees' wind resistance. Pruning and topping should be planned to maximise the circulation of air and provide plenty of sunlight. This keeps the crown healthily dry, improves accessibility for harvesting, and discourages the organisms that cause gummosis. [17]

Harvesting

White Key lime flower in different stages KeyLime 2010 07 25 0001.jpg
White Key lime flower in different stages

The method of cultivation greatly affects the size and quality of the harvest. Trees cultivated from seedlings take 4–8 years before producing a harvest. They attain their maximal yield at about 10 years of age. Trees produced from cuttings and air layering bear fruit much sooner, sometimes producing fruit (though not a serious harvest) a year after planting. It takes approximately 9 months from the blossom to the fruit. When the fruit have grown to harvesting size and begin to turn yellow they are picked and not clipped. To achieve produce of the highest market value, it is important not to pick the fruit too early in the morning; the turgor is high then, and handling turgid fruit releases the peel oils and may cause spoilage. [17]

Postharvest process

Key lime fruits with persistent styles Starr 080610-8303 Citrus aurantiifolia.jpg
Key lime fruits with persistent styles

Shelf life of Key limes is an important consideration in marketing. The lime still ripens for a considerable time after harvesting, and it is usually stored between 12.5 and 15.5 °C (55–60 °F) at a relative humidity of 75–85%. Special procedures are employed to control the shelf life; for example, applications of growth regulators, fruit wax, fungicides, precise cooling, calcium compounds, silver nitrate, and special packing material. The preferred storage conditions are temperatures of 9–10 °C (48–50 °F) and a humidity over 85%, but even in ideal conditions post-harvesting losses are high.

In India most Key lime producers are small-scale farmers without access to such post-harvesting facilities, but makeshift expedients can be of value. One successful procedure is a coating of coconut oil that improves shelf life, thereby achieving a constant market supply of Key limes. [21]

Key limes are made into black lime by boiling them in brine and drying them. Black lime is a condiment commonly used in the Middle East.

Yield

The yield varies depending on the age of the trees. Five- to seven-year-old orchards may yield about 6 t/ha (2.7 tons/acre), with harvests increasing progressively until they stabilise at about 12–18 t/ha (5.4–8 tons/acre). Seedling trees take longer to attain their maximal harvest, but eventually out-yield grafted trees. [17]

In culture

The annual Key Lime Festival in Key West, Florida, has been held every year since 2002 over the Independence Day weekend and is a celebration of Key limes in food, drinks, and culture, with a significant emphasis on Key lime pie. [22]

Related Research Articles

<i>Citrus</i> Genus of flowering plants

Citrus is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus Citrus is native to South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Melanesia, and Australia. Various citrus species have been used and domesticated by indigenous cultures in these areas since ancient times. From there its cultivation spread into Micronesia and Polynesia by the Austronesian expansion ; and to the Middle East and the Mediterranean via the incense trade route, and onwards to Europe and the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calamansi</span> Hybrid species of citrus

Calamansi, also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is a citrus hybrid cultivated predominantly in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei, as well as parts of southern China and Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandarin orange</span> Small citrus fruit

The mandarin orange, also known as mandarin or mandarine, is a small, rounded citrus tree fruit. Treated as a distinct species of orange, it is usually eaten plain or in fruit salads. Tangerines are a group of orange-colored citrus fruit consisting of hybrids of mandarin orange with some pomelo contribution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaffir lime</span> Citrus fruit native to tropical Southeast Asia

Citrus hystrix, called the kaffir lime, Thai lime or makrut lime, is a citrus fruit native to tropical Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lime (fruit)</span> Citrus fruit

A lime is a citrus fruit, which is typically round, green in color, 3–6 centimetres (1.2–2.4 in) in diameter, and contains acidic juice vesicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limequat</span> Hybrid Species of fruit and plant

The limequat is a citrus hybrid that is the result of a cross between the Key lime and the kumquat, hybridized by Walter Tennyson Swingle in 1909.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Persian lime</span> Species of fruit and plant

Persian lime, also known by other common names such as seedless lime, Bearss lime and Tahiti lime, is a citrus fruit species of hybrid origin, known only in cultivation. The Persian lime is a triploid cross between Key lime and lemon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valencia orange</span> Hybrid orange

The Valencia orange is a sweet orange cultivar named after the famed oranges in València, Spain. It was first hybridized by pioneer American agronomist and land developer William Wolfskill in the mid-19th century on his farm in Santa Ana, southern California, United States, North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rangpur (fruit)</span> Species of fruit and plant

Rangpur, Citrus × limonia or Citrus reticulata × medica, sometimes called the rangpur lime, mandarin lime or lemandarin, is a hybrid between the mandarin orange and the citron. It is a citrus fruit with a very acidic taste and an orange peel and flesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange (fruit)</span> Citrus fruit

An orange, also called sweet orange to distinguish it from the bitter orange, is the fruit of a tree in the family Rutaceae. Botanically, this is the hybrid Citrus × sinensis, between the pomelo and the mandarin orange. The chloroplast genome, and therefore the maternal line, is that of pomelo. The sweet orange has had its full genome sequenced.

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) is a viral species of the genus Closterovirus that causes the most economically damaging disease to its namesake plant genus, Citrus. The disease has led to the death of millions of Citrus trees all over the world and has rendered millions of others useless for production. Farmers in Brazil and other South American countries gave it the name "tristeza", meaning sadness in Portuguese and Spanish, referring to the devastation produced by the disease in the 1930s. The virus is transmitted most efficiently by the brown citrus aphid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet lemon</span> Index of plants with the same common name

Sweet lemon and sweet lime refer to groups of citrus hybrids that contain low acid pulp and juice. They are hybrids often similar to non-sweet lemons or limes, but with less citron parentage. Sweet limes and lemons are not sharply separated:

The sweet lime, Citrus limettioides Tan., is often confused with the sweet lemon, C. limetta Tan., which, in certain areas, is referred to as "sweet lime". In some of the literature, it is impossible to tell which fruit is under discussion.

<i>Citrus australasica</i> Citrus fruit

Citrus australasica, the Australian finger lime or caviar lime, is a thorny understorey shrub or small tree of lowland subtropical rainforest and rainforest in the coastal border region of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ponderosa lemon</span> Citrus fruit and plant

The ponderosa lemon is a citrus hybrid of a pomelo and a citron. It is not the same as the 'Yuma Ponderosa' lemon-pomelo hybrid used as citrus rootstock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papeda (citrus)</span> Citrus fruit and plant

Papeda or papaeda is the common name for a group of Citrus species and varieties native to tropical Asia that are hardy and slow-growing, and produce unpalatable fruit. Walter Tennyson Swingle segregated these species into a separate subgenus, Papeda, that included the Ichang lemon, yuzu, kaffir lime, kabosu, sudachi, and a number of wild and uncultivated species and hybrids. Recent genetic analysis shows the papedas to be distributed among distinct branches of the Citrus phylogenetic tree, and hence Swingle's proposed subgenus is polyphyletic and not a valid taxonomic grouping, but the term persists as a common name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lemon</span> Yellow citrus fruit

The lemon is a species of small evergreen tree in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar, and China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lime production in Mexico</span>

For several decades, since at least the 1950s, Mexico has been the world's largest producer and exporter of limes, and especially of lime oil.

The micrantha is a wild citrus from the papeda group, native to southern Philippines, particularly islands of Cebu and Bohol. Two varieties are recognized: small-flowered papeda, locally known as biasong, and small-fruited papeda or samuyao.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citrus taxonomy</span> Botanical classification of the genus Citrus

Citrus taxonomy refers to the botanical classification of the species, varieties, cultivars, and graft hybrids within the genus Citrus and related genera, found in cultivation and in the wild.

<i>Citrus reshni</i> Citrus fruit and plant

Citrus reshni also known as Cleopatra mandarin is a citrus tree that is commonly used in agriculture as a rootstock of different cultivated species of citrus, mostly orange, grapefruit, tangerine and lemon. It originated in India and later was introduced to Florida from Jamaica in the mid-nineteenth century.

References

  1. ↑ "Dayap / Citrus aurantifolia / LIME: Philippine Medicinal Herbs / Philippine Alternative Medicine". Stuartxchange.org. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
  2. ↑ "Lime". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary . Retrieved 2017-09-23.
  3. ↑ "key, n.2". OED Online. September 2013. Oxford University Press. Accessed 24 October 2013.
  4. ↑ P. Golob; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (1999). "Alphabetical List of Plant Families with Insecticidal and Fungicidal Properties". The use of spices and medicinals as bioactive protectants for grains. Food & Agriculture Org. pp. 13–. ISBN   978-92-5-104294-6 . Retrieved 19 June 2011. Webarchive mirror
  5. ↑ Citrus aurantiifolia Swingle. Hort.purdue.edu. Retrieved on 2011-06-19.
  6. ↑ Weber, Ian C; Davis, Charles P; Greeson, David M (1999). "Phytophotodermatitis: The other 'lime' disease". The Journal of Emergency Medicine . 17 (2): 235–237. doi:10.1016/s0736-4679(98)00159-0. ISSN   0736-4679. PMID   10195477.
  7. ↑ "Phytophotodermatitis on Fingers of a Young Child". Patient Care Online. 2003-04-01. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  8. ↑ Fuller, Dorian Q.; Castillo, Cristina; Kingwell-Banham, Eleanor; Qin, Ling; Weisskopf, Alison (2017). "Charred pomelo peel, historical linguistics and other tree crops: approaches to framing the historical context of early Citrus cultivation in East, South and Southeast Asia". In Zech-Matterne, Véronique; Fiorentino, Girolamo (eds.). AGRUMED: Archaeology and history of citrus fruit in the Mediterranean (PDF). Publications du Centre Jean Bérard. pp. 29–48. doi:10.4000/books.pcjb.2107. ISBN   9782918887775.
  9. ↑ Curk, Franck; Ancillo, Gema Ancillo; Garcia-Lor, Andres; Luro, François; Perrier, Xavier; Jacquemoud-Collet, Jean-Pierre; Navarro, Luis; Ollitrault, Patrick (2014). "Next generation haplotyping to decipher nuclear genomic interspecific admixture in Citrus species: analysis of chromosome 2". BMC Genetics. 15: 152. doi: 10.1186/s12863-014-0152-1 . PMC   4302129 . PMID   25544367.
  10. ↑ "Citrus × aurantiifolia". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  11. ↑ Nicolosi, E.; Deng, Z.N.; Gentile, A.; La Malfa, S.; Continella, G.; Tribulato, E. (2000). "Citrus phylogeny and genetic origin of important species as investigated by molecular markers". Theoretical and Applied Genetics. 100 (8): 1155–1166. doi:10.1007/s001220051419. S2CID   24057066.
  12. ↑ Curk, Franck; Ollitrault, Frédérique; Garcia-Lor, Andres; Luro, François; Navarro, Luis; Ollitrault, Patrick (2016). "Phylogenetic origin of limes and lemons revealed by cytoplasmic and nuclear markers". Annals of Botany. 11 (4): 565–583. doi:10.1093/aob/mcw005. PMC   4817432 . PMID   26944784.
  13. ↑ Ali, Muhammad Amjad; Nawaz, Muhammad Azher (2017), "Advances in Lime Breeding and Genetics", in Khan, M. Mumtaz; Al-Yahyai, Rashid; Al-Said, Fahad (eds.), The Lime: Botany, Production and Uses, CAB International, pp. 37–53
  14. ↑ Rouiss, H; Bakry, F; Froelicher, Y; Navarro, L; Aleza, P; Ollitrault, P (2018). "Origin of C. latifolia and C. aurantiifolia triploid limes: the preferential disomic inheritance of doubled-diploid 'Mexican' lime is consistent with an interploid hybridization hypothesis". Annals of Botany. 121 (3): 571–585. doi:10.1093/aob/mcx179. PMC   5838810 . PMID   29293884.
  15. ↑ Robinson, T. Ralph (August 1942). "Henry Perrine: Pioneer horticulturist of Florida" (PDF). Tequesta. Vol. 1, no. 2. Historical Association of Southern Florida as a Bulletin of the University of Miami. pp. 16–24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2018– via Florida International University.
  16. ↑ Stella Parks. BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts, 2017, ISBN   0393634272, p. 171-173
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Duke J.A., duCellier J.L. (1993): CRC handbook of alternative cash crops (page 139-145)
  18. ↑ "T or Shield Budding". tamu.edu. Archived from the original on 2010-03-05. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  19. ↑ Morton, Julia F. (1987). "Mexican Lime". Fruits of warm climates. Purdue. pp. 168–172.
  20. ↑ "Home Fruit Production". tamu.edu.
  21. ↑ Bisen A., Pandey S.K., Patel N.: Effect of skin coatings on prolonging shelf life of kagzi lime fruits (Citrus aurantiifolia Swingle). Journal of Food Science and Technology (2012) 49(6).753-759. (page 139–145)
  22. ↑ "Key Lime Festival of the Florida Keys". KeyLimeFestival.com.
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