Three CSIRO-bred Australian lime varieties are now available for backyard gardens.
Originally bred to give the Australian native foods' industry reliable supplies of quality fruit, the varieties have been grown commercially since 2001 and are available for home gardeners in limited quantities for the first time this year.
“Australia has a range of true native citrus limes”, says Dr Steve Sykes of CSIRO Plant Industry. “They include the Finger lime, the Round lime or 'Dooja', and the drought tolerant Desert lime.
“By breeding with native limes we were able to retain their unique flavour in new varieties, producing truly novel fruit types. The varieties can be propagated on to and grown using normal citrus rootstocks.”
The three varieties produce red, yellow or green fruit.
'Australian Red Centre' is from a cross between an acid mandarin and a native Finger lime and has blood red rind, flesh and juice.
“Each of the different limes has its own unique taste,”
says Dr Sykes
'Australian Sunrise' produces a pear shaped orange fruit that makes an excellent marmalade. It is a selection from a cross between a calamondin (mandarin crossed with cumquat) and a native Finger lime.
'Australian Desert' is a cultivar selected and developed from a collection of different native Desert lime trees, and produces small green, juicy fruits which ripen at Christmas time. Its fruits can be used for preparing sauces.
"Each of the different limes has its own unique taste”, says Dr Sykes. “They are all relatively acidic like a lemon, but are excellent when used in sauces. They can also be used as an ingredient for preserves, condiments and beverages, or fresh as an attractive garnish."
The varieties are available through Floriana, a wholesale nursery and one of Australia's largest growers of quality plants for home gardens.
“The native lime hybrids are very attractive small evergreen trees and are highly suitable for pots and courtyards”, says Sarah Heale, Floriana's Marketing Manager. “They have the same requirements as regular citrus varieties and yield consistent and quite large volumes of fruit.”
High resolution images of the three lime varieties are available for publication.
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