Key lime

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The '''Key lime''' or '''acid lime''' ('''''Citrus'' × ''aurantiifolia''''' or '''''C. aurantifolia''''') is a [[citrus hybrid]] (''[[kaffir lime|C. hystrix]]'' × ''[[citron|C. medica]]'') native to tropical [[Southeast Asia]]. It has a spherical fruit, {{convert|2.5-5|cm||abbr=off|frac=2}} in diameter. The Key lime is usually picked while it is still green, but it becomes yellow when ripe.

The '''Key lime, also known as West Indian Lime, Mexican Lime or Egyption Lime''' ('''''Citrus'' × ''aurantiifolia''''' or '''''C. aurantifolia''''') <ref>{{Cite journal |last=CABI |date=2019-11-20 |title=Citrus aurantiifolia (lime) |url=https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/cabicompendium.13438 |journal=CABI Compendium |volume=CABI Compendium |pages=13438 |doi=10.1079/cabicompendium.13438}}</ref>is a small-fruited acid lime, with a spherical fruit, 3-6 cm in diameter, sometimes with apical papillae, greenish-yellow; peel very thin, very densely glandular; segments with yellow-green pulp-vesicles, very acid, juicy and fragrant. Seeds small, plump, ovoid, pale, smooth with white embryos (polyembryonic). The Key lime is usually picked while it is still green, but it becomes yellow when ripe.

The Key lime has thinner [[Peel (fruit)|rind]] and is smaller, seedier, more acidic and more aromatic than the [[Persian lime]] (''Citrus × latifolia''). It is valued for its characteristic flavor. The name comes from its association with the [[Florida Keys]], where it is best known as the [[flavoring]] ingredient in [[Key lime pie]]. The key lime is not to be confused with '''West Indian lime''', '''bartender's lime''', '''Omani lime''', or '''Mexican lime''' which are slightly different. The last is classified as a distinct [[Race (biology)|race]] with a thicker skin and darker green colour. Philippine varieties have various names, including '''''dayap''''' and '''''bilolo'''''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stuartxchange.org/Dayap.html |title=Dayap / Citrus aurantifolia / LIME: Philippine Medicinal Herbs / Philippine Alternative Medicine |publisher=Stuartxchange.org |access-date=2013-12-20}}</ref>

The Key lime has thinner [[Peel (fruit)|rind]] and is smaller, seedier, more acidic and more aromatic than the [[Persian lime]] (''Citrus × latifolia''). It is valued for its characteristic flavor. The name comes from its association with the [[Florida Keys]], where it is best known as the [[flavoring]] ingredient in [[Key lime pie]]. The key lime is not to be confused with '''bartender's lime or''' '''Omani lime''', which are slightly different. The last is classified as a distinct [[Race (biology)|race]] with a thicker skin and darker green colour. Philippine varieties have various names, including '''''dayap''''' and '''''bilolo'''''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stuartxchange.org/Dayap.html |title=Dayap / Citrus aurantifolia / LIME: Philippine Medicinal Herbs / Philippine Alternative Medicine |publisher=Stuartxchange.org |access-date=2013-12-20}}</ref>

== Etymology ==

== Etymology ==

{{See also|Citrus taxonomy}}

{{See also|Citrus taxonomy}}

[[File:Map of inferred original wild ranges of the main Citrus cultivars, and selected relevant wild taxa (Fuller et al., 2017).png|thumb|Map of inferred original wild ranges of the main ''Citrus'' cultivars, and selected relevant wild taxa<ref name="fuller">{{cite book|first1=Dorian Q. |last1=Fuller |first2=Cristina |last2=Castillo |first3=Eleanor|last3=Kingwell-Banham|first4=Ling|last4=Qin|first5=Alison|last5=Weisskopf|editor1-first=Véronique |editor1-last=Zech-Matterne |editor2-first=Girolamo|editor2-last=Fiorentino|title =AGRUMED: Archaeology and history of citrus fruit in the Mediterranean |chapter =Charred pomelo peel, historical linguistics and other tree crops: approaches to framing the historical context of early Citrus cultivation in East, South and Southeast Asia |publisher =Publications du Centre Jean Bérard|year =2017|pages=29–48|isbn =9782918887775|doi=10.4000/books.pcjb.2107|url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03501166/file/2017-Ruas-etal-Citrus.pdf |chapter-url =https://books.openedition.org/pcjb/2173?lang=en}}</ref>]]

[[File:Map of inferred original wild ranges of the main Citrus cultivars, and selected relevant wild taxa (Fuller et al., 2017).png|thumb|Map of inferred original wild ranges of the main ''Citrus'' cultivars, and selected relevant wild taxa<ref name="fuller">{{cite book|first1=Dorian Q. |last1=Fuller |first2=Cristina |last2=Castillo |first3=Eleanor|last3=Kingwell-Banham|first4=Ling|last4=Qin|first5=Alison|last5=Weisskopf|editor1-first=Véronique |editor1-last=Zech-Matterne |editor2-first=Girolamo|editor2-last=Fiorentino|title =AGRUMED: Archaeology and history of citrus fruit in the Mediterranean |chapter =Charred pomelo peel, historical linguistics and other tree crops: approaches to framing the historical context of early Citrus cultivation in East, South and Southeast Asia |publisher =Publications du Centre Jean Bérard|year =2017|pages=29–48|isbn =9782918887775|doi=10.4000/books.pcjb.2107|url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03501166/file/2017-Ruas-etal-Citrus.pdf |chapter-url =https://books.openedition.org/pcjb/2173?lang=en}}</ref>]]

'Mexican' lime and its clonal derivatives like 'West Indian' lime, 'Kagzi' lime and 'Key' lime are the most common cultivars of ''Citrus aurantifolia''<ref>{{Cite journal |last=CABI |date=2019-11-20 |title=Citrus aurantiifolia (lime) |url=https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/cabicompendium.13438 |journal=CABI Compendium |volume=CABI Compendium |pages=13438 |doi=10.1079/cabicompendium.13438}}</ref>''.'' Other small-fruited acid limes are cultivated in certain regions only; examples are, 'Abhayapuri' lime, 'Everglade' lime, 'Egyptian' lime, and 'India' lime.

The Key lime cultivar is a [[citrus hybrid]], ''[[Citrus micrantha]]'' × ''[[Citron|Citrus medica]]'' (a [[Papeda (citrus)|papeda]]-[[citron]] cross).<ref>{{cite journal|title=Next generation haplotyping to decipher nuclear genomic interspecific admixture in ''Citrus'' species: analysis of chromosome 2 |journal=BMC Genetics |volume=15 |page=152 |year=2014 |last1=Curk |first1=Franck |last2=Ancillo |first2=Gema Ancillo |last3=Garcia-Lor |first3=Andres |last4=Luro |first4=François |last5=Perrier |first5=Xavier |last6=Jacquemoud-Collet |first6=Jean-Pierre |last7=Navarro |first7=Luis |last8=Ollitrault |first8=Patrick |doi=10.1186/s12863-014-0152-1 |pmid=25544367 |pmc=4302129 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=GRIN>{{GRIN |''Citrus'' × ''aurantiifolia'' |10683 |access-date=11 December 2017}}</ref><ref name=Nicolosi>{{cite journal |last1=Nicolosi |first1=E. |last2=Deng |first2=Z.N. |last3=Gentile |first3=A. |last4=La Malfa |first4=S. |last5=Continella |first5=G. |last6=Tribulato |first6=E. |year=2000 |title=''Citrus'' phylogeny and genetic origin of important species as investigated by molecular markers |journal=Theoretical and Applied Genetics |volume=100 |issue=8|pages=1155–1166 |doi=10.1007/s001220051419 |s2cid=24057066}}</ref>

The Key lime has given rise to several other lime varieties. The best known, the [[Polyploid|triploid]] progeny of a Key lime-lemon cross, is the [[Persian lime]] (''Citrus × latifolia''), the most widely produced lime, globally. Others are, like their parent, classed within ''C. aurantiifolia''. [[Backcross]]ing with [[citron]] has produced a distinct group of triploid limes that are also of commercial value to a limited degree, the seedy Tanepeo, Coppenrath, Ambilobe and Mohtasseb lime varieties as well as the Madagascar lemon. Hybridization with a [[mandarin orange|mandarin]]-[[pomelo]] cross similar to the oranges has produced the Kirk lime. The New Caledonia and Kaghzi limes appear to have resulted from an [[F1 hybrid|F2]] Key lime self-pollination, while a spontaneous genomic duplication gave us the [[Polyploid|tetraploid]] Giant Key lime.<ref name="limes and lemons">{{cite journal |title=Phylogenetic origin of limes and lemons revealed by cytoplasmic and nuclear markers |last1=Curk |first1=Franck |last2=Ollitrault |first2=Frédérique |last3=Garcia-Lor |first3= Andres |last4=Luro |first4=François |last5=Navarro |first5=Luis |last6=Ollitrault |first6=Patrick |journal=Annals of Botany |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=565–583 |year=2016 |doi=10.1093/aob/mcw005 |pmid=26944784 |pmc=4817432}}</ref><ref>{{citation|last1=Ali |first1=Muhammad Amjad |last2=Nawaz |first2=Muhammad Azher |chapter=Advances in Lime Breeding and Genetics |title=The Lime: Botany, Production and Uses |editor-last1=Khan |editor-first1=M. Mumtaz |editor-last2=Al-Yahyai |editor-first2=Rashid |editor-last3=Al-Said |editor-first3=Fahad |year=2017 |publisher=CAB International |pages=37–53}}</ref> The potential to produce a wider variety of lime hybrids from the Key lime due to its tendency to form [[ploidy|diploid]] gametes may reduce the disease risk presented by the limited diversity of the current commercial limes.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Rouiss |first1=H |last2=Bakry |first2=F |last3=Froelicher |first3=Y |last4=Navarro |first4=L |last5=Aleza |first5=P |last6=Ollitrault |first6=P|title=Origin of ''C. latifolia'' and ''C. aurantiifolia'' triploid limes: the preferential disomic inheritance of doubled-diploid 'Mexican' lime is consistent with an interploid hybridization hypothesis |journal=Annals of Botany |volume=121 |issue=3 |pages=571–585 |year=2018 |doi=10.1093/aob/mcx179 |pmid=29293884 |pmc=5838810}}</ref>

The Key lime has given rise to several other lime varieties. The best known, the [[Polyploid|triploid]] progeny of a Key lime-lemon cross, is the [[Persian lime]] (''Citrus × latifolia''), the most widely produced lime, globally. Others are, like their parent, classed within ''C. aurantiifolia''. [[Backcross]]ing with [[citron]] has produced a distinct group of triploid limes that are also of commercial value to a limited degree, the seedy Tanepeo, Coppenrath, Ambilobe and Mohtasseb lime varieties as well as the Madagascar lemon. Hybridization with a [[mandarin orange|mandarin]]-[[pomelo]] cross similar to the oranges has produced the Kirk lime. The New Caledonia and Kaghzi limes appear to have resulted from an [[F1 hybrid|F2]] Key lime self-pollination, while a spontaneous genomic duplication gave us the [[Polyploid|tetraploid]] Giant Key lime.<ref name="limes and lemons">{{cite journal |title=Phylogenetic origin of limes and lemons revealed by cytoplasmic and nuclear markers |last1=Curk |first1=Franck |last2=Ollitrault |first2=Frédérique |last3=Garcia-Lor |first3= Andres |last4=Luro |first4=François |last5=Navarro |first5=Luis |last6=Ollitrault |first6=Patrick |journal=Annals of Botany |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=565–583 |year=2016 |doi=10.1093/aob/mcw005 |pmid=26944784 |pmc=4817432}}</ref><ref>{{citation|last1=Ali |first1=Muhammad Amjad |last2=Nawaz |first2=Muhammad Azher |chapter=Advances in Lime Breeding and Genetics |title=The Lime: Botany, Production and Uses |editor-last1=Khan |editor-first1=M. Mumtaz |editor-last2=Al-Yahyai |editor-first2=Rashid |editor-last3=Al-Said |editor-first3=Fahad |year=2017 |publisher=CAB International |pages=37–53}}</ref> The potential to produce a wider variety of lime hybrids from the Key lime due to its tendency to form [[ploidy|diploid]] gametes may reduce the disease risk presented by the limited diversity of the current commercial limes.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Rouiss |first1=H |last2=Bakry |first2=F |last3=Froelicher |first3=Y |last4=Navarro |first4=L |last5=Aleza |first5=P |last6=Ollitrault |first6=P|title=Origin of ''C. latifolia'' and ''C. aurantiifolia'' triploid limes: the preferential disomic inheritance of doubled-diploid 'Mexican' lime is consistent with an interploid hybridization hypothesis |journal=Annals of Botany |volume=121 |issue=3 |pages=571–585 |year=2018 |doi=10.1093/aob/mcx179 |pmid=29293884 |pmc=5838810}}</ref>