Grower and Scientists Explore the Fruit’s Growth and Market Potential
by RYAN MILEJCZAK
Citrus has been a key part of Florida’s identity for over a century. Yet, in the past couple decades, our citrus industry has faced substantial challenges from severe weather, development, and citrus greening.
A wide variety of programs are currently underway in our state to try to save our citrus industry, from breeding greening-resistant plants to new and innovative treatments for the disease. But one of the most surprising potential solutions comes in the form of a little fruit called a finger lime.
“Finger limes are a fruit belonging to the citrus family that are special because they are tolerant to greening and have unique juice vesicles that remain separate,” explains Dr. Manjul Dutt, a research scientist at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred.
“In normal citrus fruits, the vesicles are all fused, but in finger limes, they’re separate. So when you cut it open, these vesicles ooze out as these little round pearls, sometimes called ‘citrus caviar,’ ” Dutt explains.
The finger lime is native to Australia, and in addition to its unique insides, it also looks quite different from other citrus on the outside, with a long green form somewhat reminiscent of a cucumber. Dutt leads a team of researchers working to bring this crop to Florida’s citrus industry, and so far two varieties have been developed: the UF Sunlime and UF Redlime.
Finger Lime Trials
One of the first growers in the state to start cultivating finger limes is Brian Wilder, who planted 900 finger lime trees on his Century Pioneer Family Farm in Plant City in August 2024.
“IFAS has emerging crop seminars around the state, and in summer of ’22 I attended one given by Dr. Dutt on finger limes,” recounts Wilder. “We’d shut down our navel citrus grove in ’16 and had been sitting on the sidelines since then, but the more I learned about finger limes, the more I realized I wanted to plant a trial.”
Wilder worked with Dutt to initiate a trial with finger lime scions planted on a variety of rootstocks.
“The actual growing of finger limes is pretty much the same as any other citrus,” says Wilder. “You have similar pests, similar herbicide and pesticide treatments.”
In addition to being tolerant to greening, finger limes also seem to be fairly cold hardy.
“We recently had some cold weather back in January, and my trees had a new flush and didn’t get any leaf burn at all, and Dr. Dutt’s plantings up in Citra where it got even colder only had some minor leaf burn,” notes Wilder.
Finding the Market
While growing is going well, another challenge still exists: finding a market.
“One of the main challenges for finger limes right now is that people don’t know about them,” Dutt says. “A market and supply chain haven’t been developed yet, and for new growers that don’t know where to sell, it can be challenging.”
Wilder agrees.
“At this point, there’s very little product and not really an established market. Most people growing them do online direct sales or go to chefs and bars,” he says. “It’s a novelty at this point, and it hasn’t progressed beyond that.”
However, there are efforts to grow this market, such as the work of the IFF Citrus Innovation Center at Florida Polytechnic, whose research on finger lime flavors and fragrances could help build a market.
Despite these challenges, Wilder still sees finger limes as a great opportunity for the state’s struggling citrus growers.
“I view this as a huge opportunity to reclaim citrus land, and I think in time it will develop a critical mass,” he says. “I think it has great marketability.”
Crop Possibilities
Wilder notes that, due to the unique texture of the finger lime “pearls,” they’re a great addition to beverages and cocktails such as micheladas.
“You can roll them around on your tongue, bite into them. A chef can use them as a garnish in place of a squirt of lime juice, you can mix them into food to control your ‘dosage’ of lime flavor. There’s nothing really like it in terms of sense and smell.”
There’s still plenty of research to be done on this innovative new crop, from how to best cultivate it, to how well it can be shipped and stored, and how to develop a market for the fruit.
“Bottom line: It’s a new, upcoming crop that’s very similar to other citrus that right now has a niche market, but because it’s such a rare commodity with very little acreage, growers are able to command high prices. And as a niche commodity, the possibilities are endless,” says Dutt.
For those interested in following the latest development with this unique fruit, you can follow along with Dutt and his team’s research at australianlimes.ifas.ufl.edu.