Acid limes
Persian lime – Tahiti lime
Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swing.
TCF-365
VARIETAL GROUP
ORIGIN
AVAILABILITY
Limes
Asia
September – May
ORIGIN DATA:
The Persian Lime seems to be a hybrid between a Lemon and a Mexican lime. It is a triploid hybrid, so it is seedless. It is known to have originated in Asia and distributed in two waves. The first took it to Europe and the Western Mediterranean via Persia, and the other to California via Tahiti, hence its different names.
TREE AND FRUIT DESCRIPTION:
Vigorous tree, open bearing and medium size. Dense foliage with medium sized leaves, lanceolate and winged petioles. Oval fruit, of medium size. Fine and smooth rind, bright green first and pale yellow at maturity. Juicy pulp, of attractive greenish color, like its juice. Its juice contains less acid than those from Mexican Lime.
USES:
In tropical regions, it bears fruits all year round. It is used to prepare soft drinks and cocktails (Caipirinha, Mojito), as well as salad and seafood seasonings, sometimes associated with curry.