Persian lime is a seedless, nearly thornless citrus hybrid, a triploid cross of Key lime and lemon, grown mainly as a commercial fruit tree. It is most often grown outdoors in warm, frost-free climates, and the key to fruiting is warmth, sun and regular watering.
Family
Rutaceae (Citrus family)
Light
Full sun
Water
Water deeply and regularly, letting the top few centimetres of soil dry out between waterings.
Soil
Well-drained loamy soil or a citrus potting mix with good drainage.
Temperature
18–35 °C; protect below 5 °C
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Not known to be toxic
Edible
Yes, some parts
About
Persian lime (Citrus × latifolia), also known by other common names such as seedless lime, Bearss lime, and Tahiti lime, is a citrus fruit species of hybrid origin, known only in cultivation. The Persian lime is a triploid cross between Key lime (Citrus × aurantiifolia) and lemon (Citrus × limon).
Although there are other citrus species that are referred to as "limes", the Persian lime is the most widely cultivated lime species commercially, and accounts for the largest share of the fruits sold as limes. The fruit turns yellow as it ripens, but it is universally sold while still green.
How to grow it
Persian limes were first grown on a large scale in Iran and southern Iraq.
The trees are propagated clonally, by grafting or air layering. Persian limes are commercialized primarily in six sizes, known as 110s, 150s, 175s, 200s, 230s and 250s. Large numbers of Persian limes are grown, processed, and exported every year primarily from Mexico to the American, European and Asian markets. In 2014, Brazil was the major exporter of fresh limes to Europe (about 70%) with Mexico supplying most of the remainder.
Uses
It is widely available dried, as it is often used this way in Persian cuisine.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Persian lime by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.