Citrus limonia

Osbeck

Rangpur lime, Mandarin lime

RutaceaeFruit

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(c) Ricky Taylor, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

Fruit - raw. Used to make juices. The fruit is used to add a sour taste to foods. It is also used in the production of limeade, marmalade and sweets, and can be are used as spice. A very acid, lemon-like flavour. The fruit is about 6cm in diameter.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It can tolerate some frost. It can tolerate salt and high pH. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

Africa, Asia, Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, East Africa, Egypt, Fiji, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Mediterranean, Middle East, Niue, North Africa, North America, Pacific, Palestine, Peru, SE Asia, South America, Tanzania, USA, Vietnam, West Indies,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Antigua & Barbuda, Albania, Armenia, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Barbados, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Bahrain, Burundi, Benin, Brunei, Bolivia, Brazil, Bahamas, Bhutan, Botswana, Belize, Canada, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Chile, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cape Verde, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Algeria, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Spain, Ethiopia, Fiji, Micronesia, France, Gabon, Grenada, Georgia, French Guiana, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Croatia, Haiti, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Comoros, St Kitts & Nevis, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Monaco, Montenegro, Madagascar, Marshall Islands, Mali, Myanmar, Mongolia, Mauritania, Malta, Mauritius, Maldives, Malawi, Mexico, Malaysia, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Nepal, Nauru, Niue, New Zealand, Oman, Panama, Peru, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Palau, Paraguay, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Seychelles, Sudan, Singapore, Slovenia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, Suriname, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, El Salvador, Syria, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Tonga, Turkey, Trinidad & Tobago, Tuvalu, Taiwan, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, St Vincent, Venezuela, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Samoa, Yemen, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

It is probably a natural hybrid between lemon and mandarin. A small tree. It has many branches and thorns. It grows 6 m high. The flowers are white with a pink tinge and are fragrant. The fruit are round and very acid. They become deep orange when ripe. The fruit contain 7 segments. These separate easily. There are some named cultivated varieties.

How to Grow

Plants are grown from seed.

Propagation: The seed is best sown in containers as soon as it is ripe, after thoroughly rinsing it. Sow stored seed in containers as soon as possible]. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 3 weeks at 13°c. Seedlings are liable to damp off so they must be watered with care and kept well ventilated. The seed is usually polyembrionic, two or more seedlings arise from each seed and they are genetically identical to the parent but they do not usually carry any virus that might be present in the parent plant. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until they are 10cm or more tall before planting out into their permanent positions. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. This species grows easily from cuttings. Layering in October.

Medicinal Uses

The fruits and its peel are used medicinally. The leaves, the roots and the fruit rinds possess antibacterial and demulcent properties. They are used in decoction to treat coughs, sore throats, dyspnoea, headache, ophthalmalgia, mastitis, galactophoritis, anorexia, vomiting and snake-bite. The steam from a boiling decoction of the fresh leaves is iinhaled as a treatment for coryza and influenza. Citrus species contain a wide range of active ingredients and research is still underway in finding uses for them. They are rich in vitamin C, flavonoids, acids and volatile oils. They also contain coumarins such as bergapten which sensitizes the skin to sunlight. Bergapten is sometimes added to tanning preparations since it promotes pigmentation in the skin, though it can cause dermatitis or allergic responses in some people. Some of the plants more recent applications are as sources of anti-oxidants and chemical exfoliants in specialized cosmetics.

Other Uses

The plant is used as a rootstock for other Citrus species.

Notes

There are 20 Citrus species. Several hybrids have been formed.

Names & Synonyms

Lemandarin, Limeng, Limon dulce, Mlimao

Probably Citrus limon x Citrus reticulataCitrus limonum Risso

References (21)

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