Real lime
| Real lime | ||||||||||||
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Real lime, ripe fruit |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Citrus × aurantiifolia | ||||||||||||
| ( Christm. ) Swingle |
The real lime ( Citrus × aurantiifolia ), also called sour lime or Mexican lime , is a species of citrus plant in the diamond family (Rutaceae). The French word limette means little lime (= lemon).
description
The fruit of this plant is also called "real lime"; it is smaller than the common lime , often only the size of a table tennis ball, and, unlike the common lime, contains many seeds. The skin of the ripe fruit is yellow, but it is usually picked green and unripe for trade. Citrus × aurantiifolia grows as a small, heavily branched, thorny bush with thinner shoots than Citrus × latifolia .
In Thailand, a form of Citrus × aurantiifolia is grown that differs from the normal form in terms of its fruit shape (grapefruit shape the size of a table tennis ball) and the number of fruit segments (up to 13).
The leaf is similar in shape to the bitter orange Citrus aurantium , which is where the name aurantiifolia comes from, but slightly smaller.
The flowers are slightly smaller than the Citrus × latifolia and pure white, the flower buds turn a little purple when exposed to strong sunlight.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 18.
Culture
The plant comes from tropical regions and does not hibernate, which is why it is difficult to keep in pots.
use
Like common lime, it is mainly used to extract juice and essential oils. A well-known alcoholic mixed drink based on lime is the Brazilian caipirinha .
Dried limes are known as loomi in the Gulf States and are used as a spice .
In Florida it is used for the key lime pie that is popular there .
Others
A cross between the real lime and the kumquat created by Walter Tennyson Swingle in 1909 is the limequat ( Citrus × floridana ).
literature
- Walter T. Swingle, Philip C. Reece (1967): The Botany of Citrus and Its Wild Relatives . In: W. Reuther, HJ Webber, LD Batchelor (Ed.): The Citrus Industry . Vol. 1. University of California. [1]
- Bernhard Voss (1997): Citrus plants from tropical to hardy . Humbach & Nemazal, ISBN 3-9805521-3-6
- Bernhard Voss (2005): Citrus Plants . Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH, ISBN 3-440-10174-6
Individual evidence
- ↑ Citrus × aurantiifolia at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
Web links
- Entry at GRIN Taxonomy for Plants (Engl.)
- Description in hort.purdue.edu (Engl.)
- Uni-Düsseldorf (with picture)