Citrus aurantiifolia (Christm.) Swingle

As a common name, lime covers a number of different Citrus species and hybrid species. Those referred to as C. ×aurantiifolia are hybrids involving C. medica and possibly C. hystrix.

Small trees. Branchlets numerous and irregular, with short stout spines. Leaves slightly stiff with a short, conspicuous petiole; leaf blade broadly ovate to elliptic, 5-8 × 2-4 cm, base rounded, margin crenulate, apex obtuse and sometimes mucronate. Inflorescences with ca. 7 flowers or rarely flowers solitary. Calyx cup-shaped; lobes 4 or 5. Petals (4 or)5, white, 1-1.2 cm, rather thick. Stamens 20-25. Ovary globose; style short, ± as long as stigma; stigma large. Fruit greenish yellow, globose, ellipsoid, or obovoid, usually 4-5 cm in diam., smooth, with prominent oil glands, apex with a papilla; pericarp thin; sarcocarp with 9-12 segments, very acidic. Seeds few, ovoid; seed coat smooth; cotyledons milky white. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Sep-Dec. 2n = 18, 27.

Trailsides; low elevations. Occasionally naturalized in Yunnan.

Limonia ×aurantiifolia Christmann, Vollst. Pflanzensyst. 1: 618. 1777 ["aurantifolia"], pro sp.; Citrus ×acida Persoon; C. ×aurantiifolia subsp. murgetana Garcia Lidón et al.; C. ×aurantium Linnaeus subsp. aurantiifolia (Christmann) Guillaumin; C. ×aurantium var. proper Guillaumin; C. hystrix Candolle subsp. acida Engler; C. ×javanica Blume; C. ×lima Macfadyen; C. medica Linnaeus subf. aurantiifolia (Christmann) Hiroe.

Citrus aurantiifolia, key lime (also known as Mexican or West Indian lime), is a thorny shrub or small tree in the Rutaceae (citrus family) that originated in southeast Asia, likely Indonesia and Malaysia, and is cultivated in tropical areas from the West Indies and Central and South America to India, China, and parts of Africa for its flavorful fruit. It is one of several species of Citrus referred to as limes; others include C. hystrix (makrut lime or papeda), C. australasica and C. australis (finger lime and Australian round lime, respectively, both of which are sometimes classified in Microcitrus), and C. glauca (desert lime, sometimes classified in Eremocitrus). C. latifolia, the Persian or Tahitian lime, which is the most widely grown commercial species, can be distinguished from C. aurantiifolia by its larger size, absence of seeds, hardiness, absence of thorns, and longer fruit shelf life. The most frost-intolerant of the citrus fruits, C. aurantiifolia is a vigorous and drought-resistant shrub or many-branched small tree with numerous sharp spines, 1 cm long (3/8 inch). The leathery, evergreen leaves are alternate, elliptic to oblong, 5 to 7.5 cm (2 to 3 in) long, with narrowly winged stems. The white flowers are solitary or clustered in racemes of 2 to 7; individual flowers are up to 5 cm (2 in) across, with 4 to 6 petals and 20-25 stamens. The small greenish fruits, which ripen to yellow, are generally round to oval or elliptical, around 5 cm (2 in) in diameter, with greenish-yellow, juicy pulp divided into 6 to 15 segments containing few to many small seeds. C. aurantiifolia was brought to Mediterranean Europe during the Crusades, and then to the Caribbean (likely by the Spaniards) by 1520, where it became locally naturalized throughout the West Indies. It was cultivated in southern Florida and the Florida Keys by the mid-19th century, and became a common “dooryard” fruit, with commercial production in local areas from the 1880s until 1926, when a hurricane destroyed most of the orchards. A public relations campaign to restore the industry, in the 1950s, may have allowed “key lime” to prevail as the common name. This lime is still grown to a limited extent in Florida, but is part of a thriving industry in Dominica, where it is exported to England to be bottled as “Rose’s Lime Juice.” Key lime, which has a sour, acidic flavor, is sometimes sold as a fresh fruit, but is also widely used for the juice, peels, and the oil obtained from them. Limes are used in sherbet or sorbet, marmalades, jams, and chutneys, and in “Key Lime pie,” although the pie is often made from Persian lime instead. Lime juice is important in sauces and in juice and cocktail beverages, including popular summertime drinks such as daiquiris, mojitos, and Brazilian caiparinhas. Lime juice is low in calories but high in vitamin C. The aromatic leaves are used as a seasoning in Asian cooking. Lime juice is used as a natural remedy to relieve the itch of mosquito bites. In Malaysia and India, the juice is used in traditional medicine to relieve stomach ailments and as an antiseptic, among many other applications. (Bailey et al. 1976, Morton 1987, van Wyk 2005, Wikipedia 2012.)

Chile Central

Citrus lima L,unan, Hort. Jam. 451. 1814
Limon spinosum Mill. Gard. Diet. ed. 8. 1768. Not Citrus spinosa S. G. Gmel. Reise Russl. 3 :
278. 1774. Citrus Medica acris Martyn ; Mill. Gard. Diet. ed. 9. 1797. Citrus spinosissima G. Meyer, Fl. Esseq. 247. 1818. Citrus acida Roxb. Fl. Ind. 3 : 390. 1832.
Citrus Limetta Wight, Ic. 3 :i : 4, in part. 1845. Not C. Lime/la Risso, 1813. Citrus Aurantium spinosissima Griseb. Fl. Brit. W. Ind. 132. 1859. Citrus medica acida Hook. Fl. Brit. Ind. 1 : 515. 1872. Citrus Hystrix acida Bonavia ; Urban, Symb. Ant. 4 : 321. 1905.
A small, more or less straggling shrub or tree, attaining a maximum height of 5 or 6 m., with armed branches, the thorns mostly small, sharp and numerous; petioles winged ; leaflet oblong-elliptic to oval, 6.5-9 cm. long, 1.7-5 cm. broad, commonly rounded at the apex, dark glossy green, the margin crenulate ; flowers smaller than in the preceding species, in axillary clusters of 3-10 ; petals white ; berry small, ellipsoid to oval, 3.5-6.5 cm. long, 2.8-5 cm. in diameter, frequently mamillate at the apex, light-yellow, the rind thin, more or less roughened, the pulp abundant, greenish, acid ; seeds oval, pointed.
Type locality: Jamaica (cultivated).
Distribution : Cultivated ; thoroughly naturalized in tropical and subtropical regions.

Citrus limettioides, Palestinian sweet lime or Indian sweet lime or common sweet lime, alternatively considered a cultivar of Citrus × limon, C. × limon 'Indian Lime', is a low-acid lime used in Palestine for food, juice and rootstock. It is a member of the sweet limes. Like the Meyer lemon, it is the result of a cross between the citron (Citrus medica) and a mandarin/pomelo hybrid distinct from sweet and sour oranges.

It is distinct from the limetta which is sometimes also called sweet lime, but derives from a citron/sour orange cross. The juice and zest of the sweet citrus can be used in cooking to add a tangy flavor to food and it’s especially utilized in Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian cuisine. The citrus limettioides components can be made into medicine that helps relieve respiratory illnesses such as coughing, chest pressure, colds, and congestion.

La lima o limón dulce de la India o limón o lima de Palestina o de Persia (Citrus limettioides) es el fruto de una especie de árbol frutal de la familia de las Rutaceae llamado limero dulce o limero dulce de Palestina.​ Su zumo contiene generalmente menos del 0,1 % de ácido cítrico: su sabor muy ligero y su aroma parecido a la bergamota es popular en el Oriente Medio en la India, Centroamérica, las Antillas y en algunas regiones de México como Yucatán. La planta es relativamente delicada y propensa a infecciones virales lo que limita su cultivo en algunas zonas. Suele utilizarse para injertar otros cítricos.

Citrus limettioides est une espèce d'arbre fruitier de la famille des Rutaceae. Il est aussi appelé limettier doux ou limettier doux de Palestine, et produit des limette ou citrons doux. Leur jus contient généralement moins de 0,1 % d'acide citrique : son goût très léger est populaire au Moyen-Orient et en Inde, mais moins en Occident.

La limetta palestinese (Citrus × limettoides), detta anche limetta del Patriarca, è un agrume del genere Citrus, nella famiglia delle Rutaceae. Di antiche origini, proviene dall'India ed è diffuso in Medio Oriente.

A lima-da-pérsia é o fruto da limeira-da-pérsia (Citrus limettioides), nativa da Ásia. Apresenta-se na forma de uma fruta cítrica de baixa acidez, classificada dentro das limasdoces, mas diferencia da lima comum

. O fruto se torna amarelo-alaranjado quando fica maduro. O suco contém geralmente menos de 0,1% de ácido cítrico: o sabor muito leve do suco é popular no Oriente Médio e na Índia, mas menos no mundo ocidental.

Tais frutos são de difícil cultivo no Brasil, por serem muito vulneráveis a doenças.