Australian desert lime
| Australian desert lime | ||||||||||||
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Eremocitrus glauca |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Eremocitrus | ||||||||||||
| Swingle | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Eremocitrus glauca | ||||||||||||
| ( Lindl. ) Swingle |
The Australian desert lime ( Eremocitrus glauca ) is a species of the rhombus family (Rutaceae). It is the only species in the genus Eremocitrus .
origin
The Australian desert lime comes from the arid zones of Australia (central and south Queensland ).
description
The Australian desert lime has very slender, leathery leaves , greyish-green, which are slightly hairy on both sides. The leaves align themselves with the side edge to the sun (para phototropism ) in order to achieve less heating and evaporation. It is not possible to distinguish the top and bottom of the leaves.
The flowers are very small, three to five millimeters long and only six to ten millimeters in diameter, the fruits are round or oblong - egg-shaped, 7 to 12 mm × 8 to 10 mm, with three to five fruit segments and have a pleasantly sour aroma . The ripening time from flower to fruit ripeness is only 2.5 to 3 months.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 18.
ecology
It is the only type of citrus that can survive in deserts for months without rain. It has been observed that near Longreach in central Queensland, Australian desert lime trees have survived for 15 months with no rainfall , where otherwise no green vegetation could be seen. When the Australian desert lime is in hibernation, the species should be able to survive down to −12 ° C. The hibernation is very pronounced and begins at higher temperatures than with the other citrus species. This results in a longer winter rest period, which is comparable to that of kumquat .
Young seedlings begin to grow very slowly above ground, as a pronounced root system is created first. Once this has arisen, vigorous growth begins.
Systematics
With the Australian Wüstenlimette, the zygote forms seeds, many are hybrids developed in the hope, frost harder, early maturing varieties or even frost harder, salt-tolerant rootstocks to get.
An example of crossbreeding: Eremocitrus glauca × Citrus × limon 'Meyer' = Eremolemon , the fruit is 1.5 - 2 cm in diameter, pale green with a very thin skin, highly aromatic. The juice sacs are spherical like with Microcitrus , not stretched.
use
The Australian desert lime is a wild form that is only used for cross-breeding attempts.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Eremocitrus glauca at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
