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Rutaceae FAMILY

Citrus × latifolia

Citrus × latifolia

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

Excessive exposure to the essential oil in the peel of the fruit may cause dermatitis[1]. Rolling the fruit between the hands before squeezing in order to extract more of the juice will coat the hands with oil and this will be transferred to whatever parts of the body are touched before washing the hands[1]. Subsequent exposure to sunlight often results in brown or red areas that itch intensely, and sometimes severe blistering[1]. The sap of the tree and scratches by the thorns may cause rash in sensitive individuals[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
Growth—

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[2]. The optimal temperatures for citrus cultivation range between 25 - 30°c, with the coldest month having an average minimum of at least 15°c[2]. Growth generally ceases below 13°c and above 38°c[2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,200 - 1,500mm, but tolerates 750 - 2,300mm[3]. If there are dry periods of more than three months, then irrigation will be necessary[2]. Prefers a deep, well-drained but moisture-retentive loamy soil in full sun[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 5 - 7.5[2, 3]. The plant flowers and fruits all year round but with a distinct fruiting peak towards the end of summer[1]. Yields of 41 kilos of fruit have been obtained from trees 2 metres tall[1]. Tahiti lime flowers have no viable pollen[1]. When grown on their own they produce a fruit that is usually seedless, rarely the fruit may contain one or a few seeds, especially if planted among a number of other Citrus species[1]. This species is the least susceptible lime species to the disease huanglongbing, a disease that is posing a major challenge to the Citrus growing industry.

Propagation

Seed - this species is a sterile triploid and does not produce seeds. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Citrus+%C3%97+latifolia>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Fruits of Warm Climates — Morton. J. · Florida Flair books, Florida. · 1987 · ISBN 0961018410 ↩︎A very well written guide to about 125 species.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  4. [4]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
  5. [5]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.