{{Short description|Citrus fruit}} {{Other uses|Lime (disambiguation){{!}}Lime}} {{use British English|date=January 2025}} [[File:Lime Blossom.jpg|thumb|The fruit and flower of a Persian lime (''Citrus × latifolia'')]] [[File:Citrus hystrix dsc07772.jpg|thumb|Makrut lime fruit]]
A '''lime''' is the fruit of several species of citrus, most of which are hybrids within the genus ''Citrus'' (family Rutaceae). Limes are generally small, round to oval fruits with green flesh and skin and a distinctly sour taste due to their high citric acid content. They are widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions for culinary, medicinal, and ornamental purposes.
The term "lime" is used for a variety of citrus fruits, including the Key lime (''Citrus × aurantiifolia''), Persian lime (''Citrus × latifolia''), Makrut lime (''Citrus hystrix''), finger lime (''Citrus australasica''), blood lime (hybrid), and desert lime among others. Limes are a rich source of vitamin C and are used to accent the flavours of foods and beverages. In 2023, world production of limes (combined with lemons) was 23.6 million tonnes, led by India and Mexico.
==Description== Limes are typically 3–6 cm (1–2.5 in) in diameter and have a thin to moderately thick rind that is green when unripe and may turn yellow when fully mature. The pulp is juicy and highly acidic. Most commercial varieties are harvested green, when their flavour and acidity are strongest. Lime trees are small, evergreen shrubs or low trees with glossy leaves and fragrant white flowers. Fruit seediness varies: Key limes are generally seedy, while Persian limes are nearly seedless.
==Taxonomy and species== Limes do not form a single botanical group, as most commercial varieties are hybrids derived from citron (''C. medica''), mandarin (''C. reticulata''), pomelo (''C. maxima''), and sometimes micrantha.
* Key lime (''Citrus'' × ''aurantiifolia'') — Small, seedy fruit, historically spread from Southeast Asia.<ref>{{cite journal |doi = 10.1186/s12863-014-0152-1 |pmid=25544367 |pmc=4302129 |volume=15 |page=152 |title=Next generation haplotyping to decipher nuclear genomic interspecific admixture in Citrus species: analysis of chromosome 2 |journal=BMC Genetics|year=2014 |last1=Curk |first1=Franck |last2=Ancillo |first2=Gema |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-access=free }}</ref> * Persian lime (''Citrus'' × ''latifolia'') — Larger, nearly seedless hybrid of Key lime and lemon (''C. × limon''), the most widely produced lime.<ref name="usda">{{cite web|url=http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1679187/fresh-market-limes-special-article.pdf|title=Fresh-Market Limes|publisher=USDA Economic Research Service|date=26 September 2014|author=Plattner, Kristy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412180430/http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1679187/fresh-market-limes-special-article.pdf|archive-date=12 April 2015}}</ref> * Makrut lime (''C. hystrix'') — Aromatic bumpy fruit, widely used in Southeast Asian cuisines.<ref name=usda/> * Australian desert lime (''C. glauca'') and finger lime (''C. australasica'') — Native Australian species with niche culinary use.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.homecitrusgrowers.co.uk/australiannativecitrus/bloodlime.html|title=Australian Blood Lime|work=homecitrusgrowers.co.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831002215/http://www.homecitrusgrowers.co.uk/australiannativecitrus/bloodlime.html|archive-date=31 August 2012}}</ref> * Other hybrids include blood lime, Rangpur lime, Spanish lime (''Melicoccus bijugatus''; not true citrus), and sweet lime (''Citrus limetta''). * Non-citrus limes include ''Zanthoxylum fagara'' and ''Adelia ricinella''.
The British name "lime tree" also applies to ''Tilia'' species, unrelated to citrus.
==History== Limes originated in tropical Southeast Asia and South Asia and were spread via human migration and trade. Makrut lime was among the earliest citrus fruits introduced outside its native range. Limes reached Micronesia and Polynesia through the Austronesian expansion (c. 3000–1500 BCE), and later the Middle East and Mediterranean through the spice trade by at least 1200 BCE.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Blench |first1=R.M. |title=Fruits and arboriculture in the Indo Pacific region |journal=Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association |date=2005 |volume=24 |pages=31–50 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255579031}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Wu GA, Terol J, Ibanez V, López-García A, Pérez-Román E, Borredá C, Domingo C, Tadeo FR, Carbonell-Caballero J, Alonso R, Curk F, Du D, Ollitrault P, Roose ML, Dopazo J, Gmitter FG, Rokhsar DS, Talon M |title=Genomics of the origin and evolution of Citrus |journal=Nature |volume=554 |issue=7692 |pages=311–316 |date=February 2018 |pmid=29414943 |doi=10.1038/nature25447 |bibcode=2018Natur.554..311W |doi-access=free |hdl=20.500.11939/5741 |hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/plant/lime | title=Lime | publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. | date=2016 | access-date=16 July 2016 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810093643/https://www.britannica.com/plant/lime | archive-date=10 August 2016 }}</ref>
During the 19th century, British sailors consumed citrus, including limes, to prevent scurvy, giving rise to the nickname "limey". The practice was a closely guarded military secret. {| class="wikitable floatright" style="width:12em; text-align:center;" |+ Lime (and lemon) production <br>{{small|2023, millions of tonnes}}<br/> |- | {{IND}} || 3.8 |- | {{MEX}} || 3.2 |- | {{CHN}} || 2.4 |- | {{TUR}} || 2.3 |- | {{ARG}} || 2.0 |- | {{BRA}} || 1.7 |- | '''World''' || '''23.6''' |- |colspan=2|{{small|Source: FAOSTAT of the United Nations}}<ref name="faostat">{{cite web|url=https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL|title=Production of limes (combined with lemons) in 2023, Crops/Regions/World list/Production Quantity/Year (pick lists)|date=2025|publisher=UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT)|access-date=30 September 2025}}</ref> |}
==Production== In 2023, world production of limes (combined with lemons) was 23.6 million tonnes, led by India and Mexico (table).
==Uses== ===Culinary=== Limes are valued for the acidity of their juice and the aroma of their zest. Lime juice is used in limeade, cocktails (e.g., margarita, gimlet, daiquiri), ceviche, and guacamole. Dried limes (''limoo'' or black lime) are used in Persian cuisine, Iraqi cuisine, and Eastern Arabian cuisine spice blends. Key lime flavour characterises Key lime pie. Desert lime is used in Australian marmalade.
===Non-culinary=== Lime extracts and essential oils are used in perfume, cleaning products, and aromatherapy.
==Nutrition and phytochemicals== Raw limes are 88% water, 10% carbohydrates, contain less than 1% fat and protein, and provide 35% of the Daily Value of vitamin C per 100 g serving.<ref>{{cite web|title=Limes, raw|publisher=FoodData Central, US Department of Agriculture|date=1 April 2019|access-date=30 September 2025|url=https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168155/nutrients}}</ref> Lime juice contains about 47 grams per litre of citric acid, roughly twice that of grapefruit juice and five times that of orange juice.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Penniston KL, Nakada SY, Holmes RP, Assimos DG | title=Quantitative Assessment of Citric Acid in Lemon Juice, Lime Juice, and Commercially-Available Fruit Juice Products | journal=Journal of Endourology | volume=22 | issue=3 | year=2008 | pmid=18290732 | pages=567–70 | doi=10.1089/end.2007.0304 | pmc=2637791}}</ref>
Lime pulp and peel contain diverse phytochemicals, including polyphenols and terpenes.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture |year=2012 |volume=92|issue=15|pages=2960–67|title=Evaluation of ''Citrus aurantifolia'' peel and leaves extracts for their chemical composition, antioxidant and anti-cholinesterase activities|vauthors=Loizzo MR, Tundis R, Bonesi M, Menichini F, De Luca D, Colica C, Menichini F |pmid=22589172 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224966396_Evaluation_of_Citrus_aurantifolia_peel_and_leaves_extracts_for_their_chemical_composition_antioxidant_and_anti-cholinesterase_activities |doi=10.1002/jsfa.5708}}</ref>
==Toxicity== Contact with lime peel or juice followed by exposure to ultraviolet light can cause phytophotodermatitis ("margarita photodermatitis"). Furanocoumarins, including bergapten, limettin, psoralen, and xanthotoxin, are the primary phototoxic compounds. Lime peel contains higher concentrations than pulp, making it more phototoxic.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kung |first1=A. C. |last2=Stephens |first2=M. B. |last3=Darling |first3=T |title=Phytophotodermatitis: Bulla formation and hyperpigmentation during spring break |journal=Military Medicine |date=2009 |volume=174 |issue=6 |pages=657–661 |pmid=19585784 |url=https://academic.oup.com/milmed/article-pdf/174/6/657/21615087/milmed-d-01-7208.pdf |doi=10.7205/MILMED-D-01-7208}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=L. Kanerva|title=Handbook of Occupational Dermatology.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZrclHh9Ep7AC&pg=PA318 |year=2000 |publisher=Springer|isbn=978-3-540-64046-2|page=318|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521235553/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZrclHh9Ep7AC&pg=PA318|archive-date=21 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |journal=The Electronic Textbook of Dermatology |url=http://telemedicine.org/botanica/bot1.htm |title=Botanical Dermatology |last1=McGovern |first1=Thomas W. |last2=Barkley |first2=Theodore M. |at=Section [http://telemedicine.org/botanica/bot5.htm Phytophotodermatitis] |publisher=Internet Dermatology Society |date=2000 |volume=37 |issue=5 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-4362.1998.00385.x |pmid=9620476 |s2cid=221810453 |access-date=29 November 2018|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
==See also== * {{Portal-inline|Food}} * Lime production in Mexico * List of citrus fruits * List of culinary fruits varieties
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Spoken Wikipedia|date=2025-08-31|En-Lime fruit-article.ogg}} {{Cookbook|Lime}} * {{commons-inline}} {{Citrus}} {{Fruit juice}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lime (Fruit)}} * Category:Citrus Category:Citrus hybrids Category:Cocktail garnishes Category:Crops Category:Sour fruits Category:Plants with compound leaves