Citrus glauca
(Lindl.) Burkill
Australian Desert Lime, Native Cumquat, Australian desert kumquat
(c) coenobita, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by coenobita
(c) Martin Bennett, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Martin Bennett
(c) Greg Spearritt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Greg Spearritt
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit can be used whole in cooking, and is also used for drinks, jams, preserves, marmalade, sauces, and dressings.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It occurs naturally in the semi arid regions of Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia in Australia. It is very drought tolerant. It can stand extremes of temperature from 45°C to -24°C. It grows on a wide range of soil types. The soils need to be well drained. It suits hardiness zones 9-12.
Australia*, Pacific,
How to Identify
A medium sized shrub or small tree. It often has several stems and grows up to 2-3 m high. It can be up to 12 m high and 1-3 m across. The bark is brown and cracked. The new shoots are angular. The stems are spiny. The leaves are 1-5 cm long by 0.2-0.4 cm wide. They are narrow and spoon shaped. The leaves have a blue-grey colour. The flowers are 1-1.3 cm across. They are white or green and have a sweet scent. The fruit is round to oval and about 2 cm across. The skin of the fruit is light yellow green. It contains large oil glands. The fruit are often seedless. The seeds have furrows along them.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from seed, stem cuttings, root cuttings, suckers or budding. If trees are disturbed they easily form suckers that can be removed and planted.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Citrus glauca, commonly known as the desert lime, is a thorny shrub or small tree native to Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia. The 1889 book The Useful Native Plants of Australia records the common names native kumquat and desert lemon.
Production
It is 10-12 weeks between flowering and fruit maturity. A fruit weighs 1-3 g. Trees flower mostly in spring and fruit is ripe in summer.
Other Information
It is now cultivated commercially.
Names & Synonyms
Lime bush
References (30)
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