Sweet lemon and sweet lime refer to groups of

citrus hybrid Citrus taxonomy is the botanical classification of the species, varieties, cultivars, and graft hybrids within the genus ''Citrus'' and related genera, found in cultivation and in the wild. Citrus taxonomy is complex and controversial. Cultiva ...

s that contain low acid

pulp Pulp may refer to: * Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit * Pulp (band), an English rock band Engineering * Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper * Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture ...

and

juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or Cold-pressed juice, pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat ...

. They are hybrids often similar to non-sweet

lemon The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

s or

limes Limes may refer to: * ''Limes'' (Roman Empire), a border marker and defense system of the Roman Empire * ''Limes'' (Italian magazine), an Italian geopolitical magazine * ''Limes'' (Romanian magazine), a Romanian literary and political quarterly ma ...

, but with less citron parentage. Sweet limes and lemons are not sharply separated: The same plant may also be known by different names: The sweet lemons and sweet limes are not derived from either lemons or the more common

, nor do they represent a

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

grouping, having arisen from distinct citrus hybridizations. Plants and fruits with the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

sweet lemon or sweet lime include: * '' Citrus limetta'', small and round like a common lime, with sweet juice, a

citron The citron (''Citrus medica''), historically cedrate, is a large fragrant citrus fruit with a thick Peel (fruit), rind. It is said to resemble a 'huge, rough lemon'. It is one of the Citrus taxonomy#Citrons, original citrus fruits from which al ...

/ sour orange hybrid. * Lumia, a large dry

-like fruit that is pear shaped and not necessarily sweet. This is itself a mixed group: one member has been found to have resulted from a lemon crossing with a citron/

pomelo The pomelo ( ; or pummelo, ''Citrus maxima''), also known as a shaddock, is the largest citrus fruit. It is an ancestor of several cultivated citrus species, including the bitter orange and the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fr ...

hybrid, a second member is a micrantha/citron mix. * Palestinian sweet lime, ''Citrus'' × ''latifolia'', mainly used as a

rootstock A rootstock is part of a plant, often an underground part, from which new above-ground growth can be produced. It could also be described as a stem with a well developed root system, to which a bud from another plant is grafted. It can refer to ...

, a citron/mandarin/pomelo hybrid. * Ujukitsu, ''Citrus ujukitsu'', or 'lemonade fruit', likely a

tangelo The tangelo ( , ; ''C. reticulata × C. maxima'' or ''× C. paradisi''), ''Citrus × tangelo'', is a citrus fruit hybrid of a ''Citrus reticulata'' variety, such as mandarin orange or tangerine, and a ''Citrus maxima'' variety, such as a pome ...

, a

Kishu mikan The kishu mikan (''Citrus kinokuni'' ex Tanaka), from Japanese , is a hybrid variety of mikan, or mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''), found in Southern China and also grown in Japan. The fruit is also known as ''Baby Mandarin'', ''Tiny T ...

crossed with a

-like fruit, produced by citrus pioneer

Chōzaburō Tanaka , often Romanized as Tyôzaburô Tanaka (November 3, 1885 in Osaka – June 28, 1976), was a Japanese botanist and mycologist. He established one of the two major Biological classification, taxonomic classification systems for citrus and related g ...

References

{{plant common name

See also

References