Thornless Key Lime

UCR describes the CRC 2683 selection as apparently a bud sport from regular Mexican lime. Its 1987 note says the fruit is virtually indistinguishable from Mexican lime, while tree characters suggest it may be a hybrid; UCR does not resolve its origin or parentage.^⁠[1]

UCR lists the Riverside collection’s fruit season as October–December. Separately, a UC Master Gardeners contributor describes round fruit about 1–1.5 inches across, green to yellow-green before maturity and yellow when ripe, with the heaviest crop in October–November. The garden tree’s accession is not identified, so it is not established as CRC 2683.^⁠[1]⁠[2]

The UCANR contributor’s young standard-form thornless lime was chosen for a small yard and reportedly handled pruning well. In a Benicia garden near water, non-LED Christmas lights were used as a frost precaution, with additional protection planned for a deeper frost. This is a garden account, not a measured hardiness test or a report about UCR CRC 2683.^⁠[2]