Lemon & Lime seeds

 

Why are limes seedless and lemons not?

 


|!Why are limes seedless and lemons not?

They are different cultivars both of the citrus family.
When I last made lime marmalade the Limes had a few seeds
--
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On Fri, 06 Apr 2007 22:05:54 +0100, Dave Fawthrop


So they're hybrids? Have they (the limes) been specifically
cultivated to have no seeds? If so, why not do the same with
lemons?


Strange. I've used about 20 limes over the past month or so
and not one had a seed in it.

 

Donna Frazier  wrote:


There are two main types of limes which seem to predominate the
market.  The best for quantity of jiuce and size of fruit are those
commonly known as 'Persian' or 'Tahiti' limes.  They are old hybrids
selected and grown widely over the past 100 - 150 years and have
relatively thin rinds and moderately acid flavour.

Their 'seedless' qualities are either due to them being entirely
sterile or self-sterile.  Since the only way to get the same fruit
consistently is to propagate vegetatively using grafting or cuttings.
All trees in a plantation would be clones and being closely
related.they'd be self-incompatible resulting in seedless or near
seedless fruits.

The second type which is widely grown on account of its stronger, more
acid flavour is the 'Key lime', which does have seeds.  The rind is
thicker and the fruits are smaller but very freely produced.  Even
seeded limes have relatively few seeds, so I doubt if 'seedlessness'
is a determining quality in the selection of a variety for growing
commercially.

There is now a seedless lemon derived from 'Eureka', which is one of
the most widely grown varieties.  I seem to remember a bit of a fuss
when it first became available a few years ago.  As with limes the
presence of seeds does not impair the quality of the fruit or detract
from it, so I can't see the seedless version ousting the popular
conventional varieties in the near future.  I think it was Sainsbury
that first stocked it, claiming that the days of worrying about lemon
pips were now over.  But really, is it that much trouble to remove a
few seeds from a lemon?  There's little real advantage for the
domestic market, but I suppose there is a point when processing tons
of fruit for juice production.


Depending upon source and time of year, grocers and supermarkets will
stock either type.  Because of their stronger flavour and thicker
rinds, .Key limes make a better marmelade and in my opinion, lime
marmelade is the  best.

 


|> Donna Frazier  wrote:
|>
|> > So they're hybrids? Have they (the limes) been specifically
|> > cultivated to have no seeds? If so, why not do the same with
|> > lemons?
|>
|> There are two main types of limes which seem to predominate the
|> market.  The best for quantity of jiuce and size of fruit are those
|> commonly known as 'Persian' or 'Tahiti' limes.  They are old hybrids
|> selected and grown widely over the past 100 - 150 years and have
|> relatively thin rinds and moderately acid flavour.

If I have it right, they are also known as West African limes, and
the Americans know them as Mexican ones :-)  God alone knows where
they originated!  They are the usually the ones bought in the UK,
and the plant is definitely a tropical one - i.e. it needs fairly
constant warmth and high humidity.

|> The second type which is widely grown on account of its stronger, more
|> acid flavour is the 'Key lime', which does have seeds.  The rind is
|> thicker and the fruits are smaller but very freely produced.  Even
|> seeded limes have relatively few seeds, so I doubt if 'seedlessness'
|> is a determining quality in the selection of a variety for growing
|> commercially.

I haven't often seen these in the UK.  I believe that 'Bearss' is a
seedless variety that dominate the USA, though I am not certain that
it is a Key lime.  It certainly isn't the species that we are used
to in the UK.

|> >>When I last made lime marmalade the Limes had a few seeds
|>
|> > Strange. I've used about 20 limes over the past month or so
|> > and not one had a seed in it.
|>
|> Depending upon source and time of year, grocers and supermarkets will
|> stock either type.  Because of their stronger flavour and thicker
|> rinds, .Key limes make a better marmelade and in my opinion, lime
|> marmelade is the  best.

As I said, I have very rarely bought any but the first-mentioned lime
in the UK, and the only seeded ones I have bought I am pretty sure
were of the same species.  Also, my mother said that the ones in West
Africa usually had seeds.

What is their flavour like and how aromatic is their juice?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.