They
arise in clusters of about 6 after the blooms pass. Thin immediately
to about 2 or 3 per cluster, unless you want more plentiful but much
smaller fruits.
An excellent Tart tasting lime, great for
cooking
The key lime, also known as the Mexican lime, West Indian
lime or Bartender's lime is in a class all of its own. Much smaller
than regular "Persian" limes you get at the store, the key lime ranges in size
from a ping-pong ball to smaller than a tennis ball (2.5-5 cm in diameter (1-2
in)). The peel is thin, smooth and greenish-yellow when ripe. The flesh is also
greenish-yellow and full of highly poly embryonic seeds (two or more plants from
one seed). The interior is divided by 10 to 12 segments, quite juicy and has a
higher acidity than regular Persian limes. Key limes have a very distinctive
aroma, which makes them valuable for culinary use.
Key Lime
Trees have a great reputation as an indoor houseplant.
History
Limes (Citrus aurantifolia) are
the fruit of tropical citrus tree closely related to lemons. This
evergreen tree is in the Rue family, Rutaceae, which also includes
citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons and kumquats. Limes are native
to Southeast Asia, and probably originated in Indonesia or Malaysia.
They made their way to the eastern Mediterranean with the Arabs, and
to the western Mediterranean, with returning Crusaders, and eventually
to the West Indies, when Columbus introduced citrus fruits there on
his second voyage. These limes, used in most of the world, are
what we call Key Limes.
The large, green, seedless limes found in your supermarket is the
Persian or Tahiti Lime (Citrus latifolia) a hybrid developed in
the early 20th century. The fruit is larger than the Key Lime, more
resistant to disease and pests, and has a thicker rind. They are
picked slightly immature, while they are still green in color (they
turn yellow when fully ripe, and might be confused with lemons).
Key limes which predominate in the rest of the world, are smaller,
yellowier in color, seedy, sourer, and grow on thorny trees which are
sensitive to cold weather. As we have done with tomatoes, we have
sacrificed flavor for convenience and appearance. Key limes were grown
commercially in southern Florida and the Florida keys, until the 1926
hurricane wiped out the citrus groves. The growers replaced the Key
Lime trees with Persian Lime trees because they are easier to grow,
easier to pick because they have no thorns, and due to the much
thicker skin, are easier and more economical to ship. There are still
many Key Lime trees throughout the Florida Keys in backyards however,
commercial production is only on a very small scale. Though they do
seem to be making a slight comeback as a Florida crop in recent years.
