Keywords

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Scientific Name

Citrus australis (Mudie) Planch.

Synonyms

Citrus australis Planch., Microcitrus australis (A. Cunn. ex Mudie) Swingle, Microcitrus australis (Planch.) Swingle.

Family

Rutaceae

Common/English Names

Australian Round Lime, Australia Sweet, Dooja, Gympie Lime, Native Lime, Native Orange, Round Lime.

Vernacular Name

  • Australia: Dooja (Aboriginal)

Origin/Distribution

The species is endemic to southeast Queensland.

Agroecology

The species occurs naturally on the fringe of ­lowland sub-tropical rainforests of southeast Queensland, from Brisbane northwards. It is a hardy plant but slow-growing, needing some protection when young. It thrives in well-drained, organic rich soil in a sheltered position. It values mulching and extra watering during dry periods. It is moderately frost tolerant.

Edible Plant Parts and Uses

The ripe acidic fruit can be eaten raw but is more suitable for making drinks cordials, sauces, jams, marmalades and also as lime flavouring. The thick rind has potential for culinary use, such as grating into spice pastes, or for candied peel and may also have potential for essential oil extraction.

Botany

A compact, dense armed tree growing to 12–20 m high with slender, multiple trunks and trunk diameter of 6–8 mm and with angled, glabrous twigs with slender, 5–10 mm long, axillary thorns. Juvenile leaves linear. Older leaves simple, entire, glabrous, elliptic to obovate or almost rhomboid, 3–4  ×  2–3 cm, emarginate or bluntly pointed at tip, cuneate at the base, gland-dotted; petioles short 6 mm, articulated with the leaf blades (Plates 1 and 2). Flowers white or pinkish-white, fragrant about 1–1.5 cm across; solitary in leaf axils, 4- or 5-merous, with 16–20 stamens with free filaments; fruit globose to subglobose, 3.5–5 cm diam., with dark green to green to yellowish- green, rugose 7 mm thick rind and containing six segments with pale yellowish-white vesicles (Plates 1 and 2). Seeds flattened, monoembryonic.

Plate 1
figure a

Leaves and fruit of Australian round lime (M. Smith)

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Plate 2
figure b

Rugose fruit with thick rind and yellowish-white pulp (M. Smith)

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Nutritive/Medicinal Properties

The proximate nutrient composition of the fruit was reported to be: energy 91 g, moisture 74.8 g, protein 2.2 g, nitrogen 0.35 g, , ash 0.8 g, dietary fibre 6.7 g, carbohydrates 15.5 g, Ca 46 mg, Cu 0.2 mg, Fe 0.5 mg, Mg 24 mg, K 270 mg, Na 4 mg, Zn 0.1 mg, niacin 0.37 mg (Brand Miller et al. 1993).

C. australis leaf oil was dominated by α-pinene (68–79%).

Other Uses

The species can be used for Citrus hybridisation work.

Comments

Round lime is propagated from fresh seed or cuttings, which are slow to develop roots. It can also be budded onto exotic Citrus rootstock.