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Palestine Sweet Lime

Palestine Sweet Lime

Indian Sweet Lime
OfficialUnknown parentage
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Notes

The tree is medium-large with an irregular spreading form. The flowers are pure white, and the new growth is bright green. The fruits are small, round to slightly oblong, and have a thin, smooth, rind with prominent oil glands. At maturity, the rind is pale green to orange-yellow. The flesh is pale yellow, tender and juicy, with some seeds. The flavor is insipid due to the lack of acidity in the fruit but is appealing to some. Palestinian sweet lime is also used as a citrus rootstock. Fruit medium in size, subglobose to oblong or short-elliptic, sometimes faintly ribbed; base evenly rounded; apex commonly rounded; areolar area often protruded into a low, flat nipple surrounded by a shallow circular furrow. Seeds few, highly polyembryonic; chalazal spot light tan (almost blond); cotyledons faint green. Rind thin to very thin; surface smooth to very smooth with prominent oil glands flush with surface; tightly adherent; color greenish to orange yellow at maturity. Aroma of rind oil distinctive. Segments about 10; axis medium in size and semi-hollow at maturity. Flesh color straw-yellow; tender, very juicy; flavor insipid because of lack of acid, and with slightly bitter aftertaste. Single bloom and crop. Tree distinctive in appearance, medium-large in size and of spreading but irregular growth habit, with thick, thorny branches; foliage medium-dense. Leaves pale green, medium in size, long-oval, blunt-pointed, and characteristically cupped or rolled, with petioles wing-margined rather than winged as in most limes. Flowers medium-large, pure white, and new shoot growth pure green. The Indian sweet lime is the mitha nimbu (numerous modifications and other local names) of India, the limûn helou or succari of Egypt, and the Palestine sweet lime (to distinguish it from the Millsweet and Tunisian limettas, commonly called sweet limes). In India, where this fruit has been grown longer than elsewhere, several forms are recognized that differ principally in fruit shape, presence or absence of the nipple, and in fruitfulness. In northeastern India, to which it is native, it has been established (Hodgson, Singh and Singh, 1963) that the soh synteng of Assam is the acid form of this fruit. It is similar in all respects except: (1) the fruit is highly acid; (2) at a limited and ephemoral [sic] stage pink coloration is present in the flower buds and new shoots; and (3) the color of the chalazal spot is pinkish-purple. The Indian sweet lime and the Tahiti lime bear slight resemblances to the galgal or hill lemon of India and the Tunisian limetta. There are virtually no resemblances to the small-fruited acid lime.

Origin

India

Submitted by

Brady Mitchell@cascadiaadmin
Colwood, British Columbia, Canada
Submitted on: February 1, 2026