Red Finger Lime Tree (Citrus Caviar)

About the Red Finger Lime Tree (Citrus Caviar)

Finger limes are Australian rainforest citrus with slender, finger-shaped fruit packed with tiny, separate juice vesicles that pop on the tongue, which is why chefs call them citrus caviar. This red-fleshed form has pink-to-ruby pearls with a bright, tangy lime flavour. Spoon them over seafood, ceviche, oysters, salads, desserts or cocktails for colour and texture. The plant is a small, dense, thorny shrub-tree with tiny leaves, ideal for containers. It adapts to warm subtropical and tropical gardens in Mexico. Grown on our farms in Yucatán and Chiapas and shipped via DHL.

How to Care for It

Grow in full sun to light shade in well-drained, slightly acidic soil or a quality citrus mix. Water when the top few centimetres dry, avoiding waterlogging. Feed with a citrus fertiliser containing micronutrients from spring to autumn. Established plants tolerate light frost to about -3 °C; protect young ones. The branches carry sharp thorns, so wear gloves when pruning to shape or thin.

Grow fruit most people have never tasted. Our exotic fruit trees, from Monthong durian and Emperor lychee to jaboticaba, achachairú and red finger lime, are raised on our farms in Yucatán and Chiapas and shipped by DHL across Mexico. Most love heat and humidity; several do beautifully in large pots.

Growing Profile

Botanical name

Citrus australasica (red-fleshed form)

Family

Rutaceae

Native to

Eastern Australia

Mature height

2–5 m

Plant spacing

3 m

Years to first fruit

2–4 years

Light

Full sun

Water

Moderate

Cold tolerance

down to -3 °C

Best climates

Subtropical, Mild highlands, Humid tropics

Grows in a pot

Yes

Ships from

Our farms in Yucatán & Chiapas