Of the two acid, or sour, limes in world trade, the one longest known
and most widely cultivated is the Mexican, West Indian,
or Key lime, Citrus aurantifolia Swingle (syns. C. acida Roxb., C.
lima Lunan; C. medica var. ácida Brandis; and Limonia
aurantifolia Christm.). It is often referred to merely as "lime". In
Spanish it is, lima ácida, lima chica, lima boba, limón
chiquito, limón criollo, limón sutil, limón corriente,
or limón agria. In French, it is limette or limettier acide; in
German,
limett; Italian, limetta; in Dutch, lemmetje or limmetje. In East Africa,
it is ndimu; in the Philippines, dalayap or dayap; in
Malaya, limau asam; in India, nimbu, limbu, nebu, lebu or limun. In
Papiamento in the Netherlands Antilles it is lamoentsji
or lamunchi, in Brazil, limao galego, or lintao miudo. In Egypt and
the Sudan it is called limûn baladi, or baladi, in
Morocco, doc.
The Mexican lime tree is exceedingly vigorous; may be shrubby or range
from 6 1/2 to 13 ft (2-4 m) high, with many slender,
spreading branches, and usually has numerous, very sharp, axillary
spines to 3/8 in (1 cm) long. The evergreen, alternate leaves
are pleasantly aromatic, densely set; elliptic- or oblong-ovate, rounded
at the base, 2 to 3 in (5-7.5 cm) long, leathery; light
purplish when young, dull dark-green above, paler beneath, when mature;
with minute, rounded teeth and narrowly-winged
petioles. Faintly fragrant or scentless, the axillary flowers, to 2
in (5 cm) across are solitary or 2 to 7 in a raceme, and have 4 to 6 oblong,
spreading petals, white but purple-tinged when fresh, and 20-25 bundled
white stamens with yellow anthers. The fruit, borne singly or in 2's or
3's (or sometimes large clusters), at the twig tips, is round, obovate,
or slightly elliptical, sometimes with a slight nipple at the apex; the
base rounded or faintly necked; 1 to 2 in (2.5-5 cm) in diameter; peel
is green and glossy when immature, pale-yellow when ripe; somewhat rough
to very smooth, 1/16 to 1/8 in (1.5-3 mm) thick; the pulp is greenish-yellow
in 6 to 15 segments which do not readily separate; aromatic, juicy, very
acid and flavorful, with few or many small seeds, green inside.
The Mexican lime is native to the Indo-Malayan region. It was unknown
in Europe before the Crusades and it is assumed to
have been carried to North Africa and the Near East by Arabs and taken
by Crusaders from Palestine to Mediterranean
Europe. In the mid-13th Century, it was cultivated and well-known in
Italy and probably also in France. It was undoubtedly
introduced into the Caribbean islands and Mexico by the Spaniards,
for it was reportedly commonly grown in Haiti in 1520. It
readily became naturalized in the West Indies and Mexico, There is
no known record of its arrival in Florida. Dr. Henry Perrine planted limes
from Yucatan on Indian Key and possibly elsewhere. In 1839, cultivation
of limes in southern Florida was
reported to be "increasing". The lime became a common dooryard fruit
and by 1883 was being grown commercially on a small
scale in Orange and Lake Counties. When pineapple culture was abandoned
on the Florida Keys, because of soil depletion and the 1906 hurricane,
people began planting limes as a substitute crop for the Keys and the islands
off Ft. Myers on the west
coast. The fruits were pickled in saltwater and shipped to Boston where
they were a popular snack for school children. The
little industry flourished especially between 1913 and 1923, but was
demolished by the infamous hurricane of 1926. Thereafter, the lime was
once again mainly a casual dooryard resource on the Keys and the southern
part of the Florida mainland.
In 1953, George D. Fleming, Jr., proprietor of Key Lime Associates,
at Rock Harbor, on Key Largo, was the chief producer
of limes. Though he had sold several of his groves, he was developing
a new one as part of a "vacation cottage colony". Production of Mexican
limes for juice has been the major industry on the small Caribbean island
of Dominica for generations.
The Mexican lime grows wild in the warm valleys of the Himalayas and
is cultivated not only in the lowlands but up to an
elevation of 4,000 ft (1,200 m). It was first planted on the South
Pacific island of Niue in 1930. A small commercial industry has been expanding
since 1966. Some of the fruit is sold fresh but most of the crop is processed
for juice and oil by the Niue
Development Board Factory. These products are shipped to New Zealand,
as are a good part of the peels for the manufacture of marmalade and jam.
Production was crippled by a hurricane in 1979. This storm inspired a search
for rootstocks that could
be expected to withstand strong winds.
There are few varieties of the Mexican lime, except for several spineless selections, inasmuch as there is no great variation in the wild or under cultivation. Some old named cultivars may not be recognized today. 'Everglade' (Philippine Islands #2182')–a seedling of a Mexican lime pollinated by flowers of a grapefruit or pummelo, but the fruits show no grapefruit or pummelo characteristics. Introduced into Trinidad in 1922. Planted in the Citrus Experiment Station collection at Riverside, California, it showed little or no distinguishing features. It is limelike, elliptical, with fairly large nipple at apex; 1 1/2 to 2 in (4-5 cm) wide, 1 3/4 to 2 1/8 in (4.5-5.4 cm) high; peel light-yellow when ripe, medium-smooth, the largest oil glands slightly sunken; thin, about 1/16 in (1.5 m); pulp light-greenish, in 8 to 10 segments with tender walls; aromatic, very juicy, of excellent quality and texture; the flavor sprightly acid; seeds 2 to 10, averaging about 5. The fruits are borne in large clusters because all the flowers are perfect. Tree is highly susceptible to withertip.
The Mexican lime is usually propagated by seed because most seeds are
polyembryonic and reproduce faithfully to the parent.
In some areas, root sprouts from mature trees are taken up and transplanted
into groves. Sprouting may be encouraged by
digging around the parent tree to sever the roots wholly or partly.
Cuttings of mature wood may also serve for propagation but
usually do not develop strong root systems. Selected clones have been
budded onto rough lemon or sour orange. The latter is
said to provide more resistance to hurricanes. Pummelo has been used
in Hawaii but doesn't make a perfect union. In
Indonesia, this lime has always been air-layered. In the 1940's, air-layering
became popular in Florida. It was adopted in India
with 100% success, using indole butyric acid to aid root development
of the 'Kagzi' lime. Seedlings will begin to fruit in 3 to 6 years
and reach full production in 8 to 10 years. The fruits ripen and fall 5
to 6 months after flowering. Trees grown from air layers or cuttings tend
to fruit the first year and then cease fruiting until they have attained
some growth. If the trees have been correctly pruned when young, there
is no further need for pruning except to remove deadwood and water-sprouts,
or for the purpose of thinning the fruits to increase size.