Key lime seed

LATIN NAME: Citrus aurantiifolia

COMMON NAME: Key Lime

The key lime is the small, thin-skinned lime of the old cocktails and the old pies. The small, thorny, evergreen tree carries the glossy, pale-green leaves and the small, white, strongly scented flowers, and the small, round, thin-skinned, greenish-yellow fruits follow through the warm season, turning yellow as they ripen. The juice is the fine, sharp, aromatic juice of the old recipes, and the tree is a fine, easy, long-lived addition to the warm, sheltered garden and the large container. It is a tree of the warm, sunny, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The key lime holds a steady position in the plant science, and the tree has been studied for the small, thin-skinned fruits and the fine, sharp, aromatic juice. The strongly scented flowers and the way the tree fruits through the warm season have kept the researchers returning, and the lime keeps showing up in the work on the warm-climate citrus and the small-fruited limes. The glossy, pale-green leaves and the small, white flowers have also made it a fine garden tree, and it is a regular subject of the studies of the citrus crops and the fragrant blossoms.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The key lime pays its way in the kitchen and the garden. The small, thin-skinned fruits carry the fine, sharp, aromatic juice of the old recipes, prized for the drinks, the pies and the dressings of the region, and the fragrant, white flowers fill the warm garden with their scent through the season. The small, thorny tree is a fine, easy, long-lived addition to the warm, sheltered garden and the large container, and the glossy leaves keep it handsome through the year. It has been written up in the culinary and the horticultural papers for the fine, sharp juice and the fragrant flowers, and it is a fine, generous tree of the warm, sunny, well-drained garden.

The key lime is one of the great small citrus trees, and the small, round, thin-skinned fruits carry the sharp, aromatic juice of the old recipes. The small, white, strongly scented flowers fill the warm garden with their fragrance through the season.

To grow the key lime from seed, sow the fresh, small seeds at a shallow depth in pots of moist, free-draining soil, covering them thinly, keep them in a warm, bright, sheltered spot and water gently. The seedlings push through within a few weeks and grow on steadily. With the warmth, the shelter and the well-drained ground, the small, thin-skinned, fragrant fruits will be there in a few seasons.

Key lime

Citrus aurantiifolia

Citrus aurantiifolia is a shrubby tree, to 5 m (16 ft), 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 cm (0.98–3.54 in) long, resembling orange leaves (the scientific name aurantiifolia refers to this resemblance to the leaves of the orange, Citrus aurantium). The flowers are 2.5 cm (0.98 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.

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. If the plants are propagated from seed, the seeds should be stored at least 5–6 months before planting. Alternatively, vegetative propagation from cuttings or by air layering may permit fruit production within one year, and from genetically more predictable lines of plants. Or digging around a mature tree to sever roots will encourage new sprouts that can be transplanted to another location. Clones are often bud grafted into rough lemon or sour orange to obtain strong root stocks (see also fruit tree propagation).

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, 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.