2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Lime (Latin Citrus aurantiifolia) - a kind of citrus plants genetically similar to lemon, belonging to the rather extensive family Rutaceae.
Description
Lime is a relatively small bush or tree, the height of which can vary from one and a half to five meters. The crowns of this plant are quite dense, and its branches cover short numerous thorns.
Axillary and very bizarre lime inflorescences contain one to seven flowers, in addition, this culture is distinguished by remontant (that is, constant) flowering.
Egg-shaped lime fruits are characterized by rather small sizes - their diameter ranges from 3.5 to 6 cm. By the way, their aroma differs markedly from the usual scent of lemons. And the pulp of the fruit is very sour, incredibly juicy and slightly greenish. The peels of fully mature limes are very thin, and their color can be green, yellowish, or greenish-yellowish. As for the seeds, limes of the most valuable varieties usually have few of them - from 0 to 4 pieces.
Both flowering and fruit ripening occur in limes throughout the year. True, the main flowering occurs during the rainy seasons (approximately in May and June). Most of the crop is usually harvested in August, September and October. Juicy lime fruits are excellently stored for up to one and a half to two months with a relative humidity of 85-90% and a temperature of eight to ten degrees.
Spreading
The birthplace of these citrus fruits is considered to be the colorful peninsula of Malacca. And as a culture, lime first appeared in the 70s. XIX century. on the islet of Montserrat, which is part of the Lesser Antilles. Currently, lime is widely distributed in Myanmar and Indonesia, in Sri Lanka, India, Venezuela and Brazil, as well as in several countries in West Africa.
Lime is most often supplied to the international market from the Antilles or Cuba, as well as from India, sunny Egypt and distant Mexico.
Growing and caring
Lime grows best in tropical areas, located at an altitude of thousands of meters above sea level.
In general, lime is a fairly unpretentious crop for soil conditions - it is able to grow and develop well on rocky and even sandy and rather poor soils. However, it is much more sensitive than most other citrus crops to extremely unfavorable soil and climatic conditions. The best soils for growing limes are considered to be light loams with excellent drainage and a very deep plow horizon.
With regard to resistance to low temperatures, then according to this indicator, lime can be safely awarded one of the very last places.
Application
Lime is used mainly fresh. In addition, its segments are often canned. And from lime, a very rich juice is obtained, containing from 6 to 8% citric acid. From these juicy fruits, an excellent oil is also obtained - it is used in the manufacture of a wide variety of soft drinks as a flavoring agent.
This fruit has also been used in cosmetology. Lime is a real salvation for oily skin: it helps to tighten pores, get rid of blackheads and control sebum production. It can also whiten the skin (especially on the back and neck). Lime is also an excellent helper for strengthening nails and hair - it rather actively promotes their growth. It is quite possible to use it for the treatment of papillomas with warts or abscesses, as well as herpes and closed comedones.
In folk medicine, lime is also respected. This wonderful fruit is excellent at soothing too frequent and very strong palpitations and has an excellent effect on the stomach. In addition, lime will definitely help cure colds, relieve sore throat and easily cope with various infectious ailments.
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