Finger Limes
Growing Australian Limes in Florida
The term Australian limes usually refers to several native citrus species endemic to Australia.
The following have been reported to grow well in Florida.
Citrus australasica is the Australian finger lime of commerce and the most widely grown native Australian citrus species. Finger limes are compact thorny understory shrubs or small trees. This species is characterized by its round to teardrop-shaped juice vesicles that burst into individual juice sacs when the fruit is cut. The finger-shaped fruit is sold for its juice vesicles, which can be separated into individual "pearls" resembling caviar, earning it the nickname "citrus caviar".
Citrus australis is the Australian round lime. It makes a medium-to-large, narrow tree and produces a small, round, green to yellow fruit, resembling the limes of commerce.
Citrus inodora is the Russel River lime or Large-leaf Australian wild lime. It has the largest leaves amongst the three species and produces a small yellow colored fruit.
Why are Australian Limes important?
- Most Australian lime species are Huanglongbing (HLB) tolerant.
- This HLB tolerance can be incorporated into conventional citrus cultivars to create new HLB-tolerant citrus hybrids.
- Finger limes contain round to teardrop-shaped juice vesicles that burst into individual juice sacs when the fruit is cut.
- The juice vesicles are known as “citrus caviar” which once processed and packaged, can increase tremendously in economic value.
- Locally grown finger lime can be a useful addition to the “Fresh from Florida” portfolio and could bolster local food production systems, leading to increased sales to restaurants, bars (Margarita and Mojito cocktails!), and grocery stores.
Australian lime improvement work at UF
- Several thousand hybrids have been produced to incorporate Australian lime genetics into conventional citrus.
- Many Australian lime F1 hybrids are in advanced stages of evaluation.
- Three new Finger lime hybrids have been recently released.
- Several Australian lime-derived HLB-tolerant rootstock hybrids are under evaluation.
