The citrus world is vast but, sadly, we don’t get offered many unusual ones here. It’s wonderful to have fresh oranges and lemons from trees in our gardens but it would also be delightful to have the opportunity to grow something a bit different. Do you fancy finger limes, kaffir limes and Meyer lemons? Don’t know what they are? Well, read on!
Australian Finger Limes, microcitrus australasica. These are the caviar of the citrus world and I’m not exaggerating as they are also commonly called lime caviar. The fruits are elongated and bumpy, up to about 8 cm long – in fact they look rather like a gherkin. But cut them open and they are filled with tiny tangy jewels that seem to explode in the mouth. Both the peel and the pulp come in a myriad of colours and, whilst in most citrus the pulp or juice vesicles are shaped rather like a teardrop, in finger limes they are like tiny balls – a fruity caviar that bursts in your mouth. Cut the tip off the finger lime and squeeze it from the bottom to release the pulp. It’s a great substitute for a squeeze of lime juice and looks amazing in cocktails, sorbets and fruit salads. Or a wonderful topping to mussels or oysters.
Believed to be up to 18 million years old, finger limes are endemic to the rainforests of Queensland and New South Wales area of Australia and have always been great bush tucker, Nowadays, they fetch fancy money – if you can get hold of them.
The thorny and hardy plants are slow-growing and will form small trees ultimately to about 5m high and were once a common underplanting of the vast swathes of semi-tropical rainforest that was, sadly, largely devastated by settlers. However, this particular bush food survived and is seeing a resurgence now.
Kaffir Lime/Makrut Lime, citrus hystrix. The kaffir lime is used predominantly for its pungent leaves – to identify a kaffir lime, look at the leaves. they are guitar shaped. The fruits are small and bumpy with very little pith and are highly acidic but the rind is also very aromatic. Both the exceptionally fragrant fruits and leaves play an essential role in Thai cooking imparting unique flavours that cannot be emulated using other citrus. Use the more mature dark green leaves in your cooking, but in moderation at first until you become addicted to that luscious flavour!
The kaffir lime tree is mildly frost hardy although its native habitat is hot and humid with monsoon rains for half of the year. We cannot duplicate those conditions here but the kaffir lime tree has shown itself to be remarkably adaptable. Additionally, the kaffir lime trees that we buy have been grafted onto a tough rootstock which means the entire tree will adapt to our temperate climate and cooler, dryer conditions. Help it along by giving it maximum sunlight and as much protection from the wind as you can.
In Thailand nearly every home has its kaffir lime tree in the yard. Apart from their amazing flavour in cooking, the fruits and leaves are used as household cleaners and insecticides. Shampoo made from Kaffir lime leaves the hair squeaky clean and the invigorating scent is said to ward off evil spirits whilst uplifting the soul! In traditional folk medicine it is said to promote gum health and is beneficial to the digestive system. A little tree that packs a powerful punch!
Improved Meyer Lemon, citrus x Meyeri. The Meyer lemon, or gourmet lemon, has long been unavailable in Spain but we have – at last – managed to source some. Born of a love affair between a lemon tree and an orange tree, the fruits are sweeter and slightly rounder than conventional lemons with a thin skin and have deeper egg-yolk colouration. Its exact history and parentage is unknown.
The trees are small, to around 4m in height, but extremely prolific fruiters and their compact size means they are ideal for pot growth too. They look lovely, for instance, in traditional orangerie planters, barrels or pots around 50cm across. They grow well in traditional citrus growing areas and will tolerate brief freezes and even a little shade.
The tree was originally found growing in a Beijing backyard by US plant explorer, Frank Meyer, and he introduced it into the U.S. in the early 1900’s. During the 1950’s and 1960’s almost all the trees died from citrus tristeza virus. Luckily a few were immune and were grafted onto virus-free rootstocks. It was renamed Improved Meyer Lemon and thus we know them today.
All of these rare citrus varieties are really hard to find in Spain but we’re delighted to tell you that we have them all in stock now! Try some of these wonderfully aromatic members of the citrus world.
Lorraine Cavanagh owns the specialist garden centre Viveros Florena, Competa, Malaga (garden centre, designers & landscapers) and is author of the best-selling
Mediterranean Garden Plants and Citrus, The Zest of Life.
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