Author Topic: Finger Lime/Key Lime Cross - Weird Color Ripe Fruit? (Read 9439 times)

Kevin Jones · « **on:** October 15, 2019, 03:40:02 PM »

Here's what the ripe fruit look like on my Finger Lime/ Key Lime cross.
Weird Pinkish-Red Peel coloration:

Kevin

Pademelon1 · « **Reply #1 on:** October 15, 2019, 07:38:51 PM »

Weird little nub on the end. Was this a cross between a red finger lime, or did the pinkish colour just spontaneously develop? Looks quite different from the other finger lime crosses I've seen (Red Centre Lime & Sunrise Lime).

Exciting!

simon_grow · « **Reply #2 on:** October 15, 2019, 07:53:25 PM »

Awesome, how does it taste and is the inside like individual caviar or stuck together like regular citrus?

Simon

Kevin Jones · « **Reply #3 on:** October 15, 2019, 08:23:30 PM »

Parent Fruits-Finger Lime and Key Lime:
You can see the Finger Lime has a reddish tint.

Offspring Sliced with Caviar:

Kevin

PlantHoarder · « **Reply #4 on:** October 15, 2019, 10:55:28 PM »

how did you cross those?

Kevin Jones · « **Reply #5 on:** October 16, 2019, 12:13:57 AM »

Bees did all the work.
I had key limes and finger limes growing next to each other.
I planted a bunch of key lime seeds and noticed the finger lime leaf characteristics.
Saved them and potted them up to grow.
I have 6 crosses now.
This was the first to start fruiting.

Kevin

brian · « **Reply #6 on:** October 16, 2019, 12:17:22 AM »

Neat! how's it taste?

Kevin Jones · « **Reply #7 on:** October 16, 2019, 09:46:48 AM »

I would say... typical Finger lime flavor.
Nice pink color too.

kevin

TSmith · « **Reply #8 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:27:52 PM »

That is very interesting! I want a finger lime, but the cross is quite interesting.

shaneatwell · « **Reply #9 on:** October 16, 2019, 08:55:55 PM »

Love it. I like that you can use the leaf shape to see crosses.

Kevin Jones · « **Reply #10 on:** October 16, 2019, 09:36:28 PM »

Yeah... finger limes have very distinctive leaves.
Tiny in contrast to key limes... which have a more typical citrus-sized leaf.

Kevin

will2358 · « **Reply #11 on:** October 16, 2019, 09:53:15 PM »

Kevin how long did it take from seed to fruit? Interesting looking fruit.

Kevin Jones · « **Reply #12 on:** October 17, 2019, 09:29:11 AM »

3 years.
Key limes fruit quickly from seed.... so I guess it got those quick fruiting characteristics from them.

Kevin

luketrollope · « **Reply #13 on:** October 18, 2019, 08:16:12 PM »

Far out well done. I wonder if you could get plant breeders rights on them? They would have a lot of potential. You might be onto something there amigo.

PlantHoarder · « **Reply #14 on:** October 19, 2019, 10:06:44 PM »

Doubtful on the rights, there are already variants of the finger lime with different colors growing in other parts of the world.

luketrollope · « **Reply #15 on:** October 20, 2019, 03:08:22 PM »

Quote from: PlantHoarder on October 19, 2019, 10:06:44 PM

Doubtful on the rights, there are already variants of the finger lime with different colors growing in other parts of the world.

There have been several finger lime hybrids developed by the CSIRO ( an Australian government funded science organization) for which they have plant breeders rights too. None of the crosses that have been done so far involve West Indian lime (Citrus aurantifolia) as far as I know. Anyway I think there is lots of potential regardless.

PlantHoarder · « **Reply #16 on:** October 22, 2019, 04:45:35 AM »

Quote from: Kevin Jones on October 17, 2019, 09:29:11 AM

3 years.
Key limes fruit quickly from seed.... so I guess it got those quick fruiting characteristics from them.

Kevin

If you decide to sell some I wouldn't mind one.

Kevin Jones · « **Reply #17 on:** October 22, 2019, 09:53:27 AM »

The mother plant is about 7 feet tall growing easily in a five gallon pot.
Here's a pair of the fruit babies... quite a lot this season:

Kevin

Kada · « **Reply #18 on:** October 23, 2019, 01:05:54 PM »

Super cool! I just atrated geowing finger limes for the first time this year. Really neat fruit! If you get bigger sized ones that coul be really useful!

Out of curiosity, what works as a rootstock for finger limes?

shaneatwell · « **Reply #19 on:** October 23, 2019, 09:34:02 PM »

Kevin if the seeds from those fruit aren’t nucellar you should get wildly variable seedlings from them right?

Mike T · « **Reply #20 on:** October 23, 2019, 09:43:42 PM »

Looks a bit like a new style of blood lime. It could be a winner.
My red champagne finger lime has been covered in flowers for weeks but fruit don't seem to be setting. If flowered out of season 6 months ago and around 4 or 5 fruit set.

Kevin Jones · « **Reply #21 on:** October 24, 2019, 01:16:19 PM »

You might notice that the Caviar on this one is more elongated.... less round than the parent finger lime.

Kevin

Kada · « **Reply #22 on:** October 30, 2019, 01:36:37 AM »

Does it still separate and ooze in the same way?

Kevin Jones · « **Reply #23 on:** October 30, 2019, 01:50:59 AM »

Separates... yes.
See the caviar photo above.

kj

Kevin Jones · « **Reply #24 on:** October 31, 2019, 07:11:33 PM »

I have some of these fruits for sale over in the Buy and Sell section.

Kevin

cascadiacitrus · « **Reply #25 on:** February 04, 2026, 12:02:34 AM »

Quote from: Kevin Jones on October 15, 2019, 08:23:30 PM

Parent Fruits-Finger Lime and Key Lime...

Curious if you know the name of the finger lime variety you used here?

Kevin Jones · « **Reply #26 on:** February 04, 2026, 08:24:46 AM »

Sorry... I got the tree from Four Winds in California some years ago and they simple called it "Finger Lime".
Here's a couple of example photos of this years "Pinky" fruit:

Kevin

David Kipps · « **Reply #27 on:** February 04, 2026, 01:24:41 PM »

I guess you've had these fruiting for six years now. Have you been planting their seeds? If so do some appear zygotic?

murahilin · « **Reply #28 on:** February 04, 2026, 01:37:47 PM »

Quote from: Kevin Jones on October 16, 2019, 12:13:57 AM

Bees did all the work.
I had key limes and finger limes growing next to each other.
I planted a bunch of key lime seeds and noticed the finger lime leaf characteristics.
Saved them and potted them up to grow.
I have 6 crosses now.
This was the first to start fruiting.

Kevin

Did any of the other 6 seedlings ever fruit?

Rico_Kryptic · « **Reply #29 on:** February 04, 2026, 03:27:12 PM »

Has anyone crossed a finger lime with a kumquat? I plan on trying as soon as I have flowers on both.

cascadiacitrus · « **Reply #30 on:** February 04, 2026, 05:13:47 PM »

Lovely fruit! Have you given it a name?

Kevin Jones · « **Reply #31 on:** February 04, 2026, 06:20:14 PM »

All of them fruited.. but I culled most of them as being inferior with smallish fruits... Saved two though.
"Pinky" which is pictured above... and the best of the bunch... and a similar White-fruited one.
I was about to cull the White one when Kaz requested I save it for the sake of variety.

Kevin

cascadiacitrus · « **Reply #32 on:** February 04, 2026, 07:59:28 PM »

Any pictures of the white fleshed variety?

Kevin Jones · « **Reply #33 on:** February 04, 2026, 08:35:20 PM »

White-Flesh Cross Images:

Kevin

David Kipps · « **Reply #34 on:** February 04, 2026, 11:53:10 PM »

Have these hybrids produced seeds that show variability when germinated?

cascadiacitrus · « **Reply #35 on:** February 05, 2026, 12:39:40 AM »

I've now found that there are many threads on this wonderful fruit.

I've compiled all the information, images and relevant links here (https://worldofcitrus.com/varieties/pinky-lime) so other's can easily find information on this variety.

News:

Author Topic: Finger Lime/Key Lime Cross - Weird Color Ripe Fruit? (Read 9439 times)