| Blood lime | |
| Hybrid: | Citrus australasica var. sanguinea x 'Ellendale Mandarin' hybrid |
| Origin: | Australia |
Blood limes (or 'Australian Blood Lime') are a hybrid citrus fruit developed by the CSIRO project to investigate salt-resistant crops.[1]
While the limes proved suitable for high-salt conditions, they have seen no commercial development; the first commercial crop appeared in markets in Australia in July 2004, and are under consideration for export.[2]
The blood lime is smaller than most limes, approximately long by diameter, and somewhat more sweet than the standard. It is egg-shaped in the winter.[3] The flesh inside a blood lime is composed of red-orange vesicles.[4] The skin can be eaten with the fruit. It is usually red or burgundy,[2] but can sometimes be green like the standard lime.
The blood lime is a cross between the red finger lime (Citrus australasica var. sanguinea) and the 'Ellendale Mandarin' hybrid.[5] The Ellendale is a sweet orange/mandarin cross.[6] The medium-sized trees, which have thorns, may be used as ornamental plants.