2 BULLETIN" 49, HAWAII AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



as Citrus Um-etta, C. medico. ' acida, and C. aurantifolio, the last of 

 which, given by W. T. Swingle, 2 is the one most generally accepted. 

 Christman calls it Limonia ourantifolia, a technical name which 

 includes both the sweet and the sour, or acid, varieties of lime. 



Varietal names of limes are really group names in many instances, 

 for they are based on group characters rather than on varietal char- 

 acters. Many so-called varieties have been described by horticul- 

 tural writers, but only four, namely, Kusaie, West Indian, Eangpur, 

 and Tahiti, with possibly their closely related species, were experi- 

 mented with by the experiment station (PL I). 



KUSAIE. 



The Kusaie lime (PL I) is said to have been developed on the 

 island of Kusaie, or Strongs Island, Micronesia, by early Spanish 

 settlers. In 1885 it was introduced into Hawaii, where it has stead- 

 ily gained in favor and is considered the finest of the four varieties 

 of limes tested by the experiment station. The variety reproduces 

 from seed with characters that are superior to those of the parent, 

 is not as thorny as the latter, and does not produce so many seeds. 



The Kusaie lime tree varies in size from a mere shrubby bush to 

 a well-formed tree attaining a height of 10 feet (PL III, Fig. 1). 

 When allowed to grow naturally the tree develops a spreading, 

 bushy tendency at the top, with lower branches touching the ground ; 

 and when reproduced from seed it usually sends up root sprouts 

 which eventually develop into thickets. This latter tendency, how- 

 ever, can be overcome by budding the tree upon some other citrus 

 species which does not send up root sprouts. The Kusaie is ever- 

 green and bears leaves that are rather small in size and somewhat 

 rounded at the apex. It is generally prolific and begins to bear 

 during the second or third year, continuing to produce almost 

 throughout the year. 



Fruit: Form, oval, spherical, or oblate; apex flattened or cle- 

 * pressed, with a small sharp-pointed nipple; size, medium to large, 

 the diameter ranging from 2 to 2i inches; rind medium to thin, 

 light lemon-yellow, and colors irregularly; oil cells numerous; seg- 

 ments vary from 6 to 10 ; dividing tissues thin ; pulp vesicles spindle- 

 shaped; flesh usually of a clear honey -yellow color; juice abundant, 

 colorless or transparent, with a characteristic flavor; central pith 

 usually open; seeds plump and few in number. 



All of the Kusaie trees at the experiment station are vigorous 

 and prolific, some of them having started to bear at 18 months of 

 age. In their fourth year these trees each produced about 400 fruits 

 which averaged 40 pounds to the tree. The crop of 1920, 11 years 

 later, amounted to 2,000 fruits per tree, or on the average, nearly 

 200 pounds per tree. The trees have borne almost continuously since 

 coming into bearing. On May 16, 1922, they were 8 to 10 feet high, 

 heavily laden with fruit, and had spreading tops. 



WEST INDIAN. 



The West Indian variety, also called the Mexican, Samoan, and 

 Hawaiian lime, is probably the most extensively used lime in Amer- 



2 Standard Cyclopedia of Hort., v. II, p. 782. 



