Microcitrus australasica

Australian finger lime

CRC 1484

PI 306115

 Photos by David Karp and Toni Siebert, CVC. Photo rights.

Source: Received as budwood from Dr. Joe Furr, USDCS, Indio, CA (from Yuma, Ariz.), 1968.

Parentage/origins: Parent unknown

Rootstocks of accession: Cleopatra mandarin

Season of ripeness at Riverside: Year round; peak fruit production is November to December

Season of flowering at Riverside: February to April

Notes and observations:

Original seed collected by W.V. Mangomery, Maryborough, N.S.W., Australia. Purple fruit strain. From North Arin, Murwillunbah, N.S.W. Seed to Furr in 1965.

EMN, 12/22/1987: Small, squat trees which look ratty due to much dieback. No fruit.

EMN, 10/21/1988: This is probably NOT "Purple fruit strain". Fruit is medium green fading to yellow at maturity. CRC 1484 has a much darker, purplish rind- see that card.

Description from The Citrus Industry Vol. 1 (1967):

"This variety differs from the species in that the pulp-vesicles at maturity vary from pink to red in color.
      There are similar "pink" or red varieties of oranges (the so-called "blood oranges") and grapefruit, some of which are known to have arisen as budsports.   However, the red-pulped variety of the Australian finger-lime is found growing wild and can be propagated from seed; it seems to have originated without the aid of man."

Availability: Not commercially available through the Citrus Clonal Protection Program.

USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network page for Microcitrus australasica (CRC 1484)