Carolina Lime

Carolina Lime is an unidentified selection reported to have reached Stan McKenzie in South Carolina as budwood from Germany.^⁠[11] A later forum account identifies Bernhard Voß as the reported German source but says the original seed source is unknown.^⁠[3] Tom McClendon has suggested a CiClem (Clementine × Poncirus trifoliata) backcross with Clementine, but labels this a guess.^⁠[13] Brown’s Clementine × trifoliate crosses are documented historically, but no retrieved record establishes Carolina Lime as their descendant.^⁠[15] The existing 75% Mandarin / 25% Poncirus ancestry display is an unverified estimate, not confirmed parentage.

Carolina Lime is used as a lime substitute, with green flesh and numerous seeds in the reviewed fruit.^⁠[11] The Mulberries describes lime, mandarin and floral notes, moderate sweetness and sourness, and low bitterness. Its scorecard gives 8 °Brix and pH 2.8;^⁠[12] the likely companion video reports an approximate pH-strip reading around 3.^⁠[10] A separate refrigerator-stored fruit measured 10 °Brix.^⁠[14] Reports differ on peel quality: The Mulberries praises the zest,^⁠[12] while McClendon describes a tough peel that might not suit zesting.^⁠[13]

Stan McKenzie reports survival at 8°F (−13.3°C),^⁠[11] while Tom McClendon reports no damage to his Georgia plant at 17°F (−8.3°C).^⁠[6] Exposure duration, protection, rootstock and other conditions are unspecified, so these reports do not establish a universal hardiness threshold. The Mulberries reports fruit set and thinning on 2–3-year-old plants, without establishing seedling bearing age.^⁠[9]