Citrus glauca
| Desert Lime | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Rutaceae |
| Genus: | Citrus |
| Species: | C. glauca |
| Binomial name | |
| Citrus glauca (Lindl.) Burkill | |
Citrus glauca (formerly Eremocitrus glauca) is also known as Desert Lime. It is a thorny shrub or small tree endemic to Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia.
The desert lime fruit is a highly prized bushfood used in a range of products, including marmalades, beverages, and glaced fruit. It has a strong lime-like flavour.
It is wild harvested from surviving bushland areas where it is relatively common. However, C. glauca has also been extensively cleared from some areas due to agricultural practices. Commercial cultivation is beginning to reduce the reliance on wild harvested product.
Research indicates that C. glauca is one of the most resilient Citrus species, being comparatively heat, drought, and cold tolerant. Hence the species is potentially important for Citrus breeding programmes, and readily hybridises with many common Citrus species.
References
- Cherikoff, Vic, The Dining Downunder Cookbook, ISBN 0-9752021-0-3
- Cherikoff, Vic, The Bushfood Handbook ISBN 0-646-15496-6
- Cherikoff, Vic, Uniquely Australian ISBN 0-646-07470-9
- Bruneteau, Jean-Paul, Tukka, Real Australian Food, ISBN 0-207-18966-8.
- Low, Tim, Wild Food Plants of Australia, ISBN 0-207-14383-8 .
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