Citrus australasica
| Australian finger lime | |
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| Green skin type finger lime | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Rutaceae |
| Genus: | Citrus |
| Species: | C. australasica |
| Binomial name | |
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Citrus australasica F.Muell. |
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| Synonyms | |
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The Australian finger lime plant (Citrus australasica) is a thorny understorey shrub or small tree of lowland subtropical rainforest and dry rainforest in the coastal border region of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. It has edible fruits which are under development as a potential new commercial crop.
According to the Swingle system it is not part of the genus citrus, but in a related genus Microcitrus.
The plant is 2–7 metres in height. Leaves are small, 1–6 cm long and 3–25 mm wide, glabrous, with a notched tip and crenate towards the apex. Flowers are white with petals 6–9 mm long. The fruit is cylindrical, 4–8 cm long, sometimes slightly curved, coming in different colours, including pink and green.
Early settlers consumed the fruit and retained the trees when clearing for agriculture. Colonial botanists suggested that they should be cultivated.
The finger lime has been recently popularised as a gourmet bushfood. The globular juice vesicles have been likened to a "lime caviar", which can be used as a garnish or added to various recipes. The fresh vesicles have the effect of a burst of effervescent tangy flavour as they are chewed. The fruit juice is acidic and similar to that of a lime. Marmalade and pickles are also made from finger lime. The finger lime peel can be dried and used as a flavouring spice.
Commercial use of finger lime fruit started in the mid-1990s in boutique marmalades made from wild harvested fruit. By 2000 the finger lime was being sold in restaurants, including the export of fresh fruit.
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Wikipedia