Citrus aurantiifolia

Citrus aurantiifolia or commonly known as Lime, Key Lime, Mexican Lime, or Mexican Thornless Key Lime is small evergreen tree found in tropical Asia. It grows up to 5 m tall and it has dense and irregular branches, spiny twigs, small, dark green leaves, and yellowish white flowers. The fruit is thin-skinned, juicy, very acid, and fragrant. It is eaten raw or cooked, used as flavouring, or made into jellies, juices, jams, or marmalades. In Persian cuisine, it is dried and used in cooking. The peel is chopped and used to make a sweetmeat. The leaves are sometimes added to soups and used as a condiment in Javanese dishes. Medicinally, various plant parts of lime are used. The leaves are infused and taken orally for headaches and colds. When used with other plants, it induces abortion and can be used for a bath for very hot feet . Fruit juice is used as treatment for viccis, and is added to various medicinal preparations. It is also used in the treatment of snakebites, wounds, and dandruff itch. The root is used for haemorrhages and veneral disease. Futher, lime yields oil that is used in making perfume, soap, chewing gum, food, and sweets.

Citrus aurantiifolia is an evergreen Tree growing to 6 m by 4 m at a medium rate.
It is hardy to zone 10.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light , medium and heavy soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils.
It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Three main climates are suitable for commercial citrus production - tropical climates, subtropical with winter rain such as in the Mediterranean and semitropical with summer rainfall as found in Florida and southern Brazil. Limes grow at elevations up to 2,200 metres. The optimal temperatures for their cultivation range between 25 - 30°c, with the coldest month having an average minimum of at least 15°c. Growth generally ceases below 13°c and above 38°c. They are most competitive in areas that receive from about 700 to 1,000 mm of mean annual precipitation. If there are dry periods of more than three months, then irrigation will be necessary. Prefers a deep, well-drained but moisture-retentive loamy soil in full sun. The tree is quite drought-resistant. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 6.5, tolerating 4.8 - 8.3. Plants can flower and produce fruit all year round. Layered trees can produce fruit in the second year after planting, but growers aim at maximum growth to get a more substantial crop in the third year. The average yield of lime in Thailand during the 1988/1989 season was 2,400 kg/ha. In India trees are expected to bear 600 - 1,500 fruits per year. A high incidence of bacterial canker is a limiting factor for growing limes in the wet tropics. Limes hybridize freely with other Citrus species, and many hybrids are known, e.g. Lemonimes , Limequats . Limes are divided horticulturally into acid and sweet limes. There are many named varieties.