Persian LimePERSIAN (Citrus latifolia)

A natural cross between a Key Lime [Mexican Lime] and a citron that occurred in Iran centuries ago, the Persian lime became established around the eastern Mediterranean. During the age of exploration the Portuguese discovered it on an island off Tunisia.  From thence they took it to their American colony, Brazil, where it was grown along with other citrus.  In the early 1800s it crossed the Pacific to Australia, and in the decade after the California Gold Rush recrossed the Pacific to California.  It was not grown extensively there, because the Key Lime [Mexican Lime] was already established.  In 1883 it came to Florida where its cold hardiness was immediately appreciated. Picked and consummed immature and green, the lime became differentiated in the minds of consumers with the Key Lime which was picked ripe and yellow.  The flavor was simpler and the appearance of the fruit unmistakable.  It was sold exclusively as a produce item, unjuiced, for the early decades of its cultivation.  Until the limeade concentrate industry arose circa 1950, the demand for the fruit was for cocktails, Hispanic fish dishes, and as an acid and zest in salads.  Because of the glut of lemon trees in Florida, groves were cut down and converted to Persian lime production as the twentieth century advanced.  

The fruit of the Persian is comparable to that of the smaller market lemons--moderate in size, obovate in shape, and sometimes graced with a neck.  Most fruit have few if any seeds.  The flesh normally arranges into ten segments.  The juice is less nuanced than that of the Key Lime, and culinary processors prefer the oil of Key Lime as well for syrups and flavorings.  Yet the straightforward acid makes an impression on the consuming public who have built substantial demand for the fruit. So much so that it has eclipsed the Key Lime entirely in the United States.

The tree of the Persian lime has a spreading habit, tends to droop, and presents little challenge to harvesters since the plants bears few thorns.  The leaves are lanceolate, and pack branches densely.  The tree grows to 35 to 45 feet in height.  It flowers throughout the year.  

Image: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705, Elsie Lower, 1908.

David S. Shields