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Description: Citrus aurantifolia is a bushy, vigorous shrub or small tree, about 4-8 m (12-24 ft) in height. This woody cultivated species, produces sharp spines, variable but alternately arranged leaves and fragrant, pink to white-petalled flowers. The smooth, globose, green to light yellow-skinned fruit are 3.5-6 cm (~1.5-2 in) wide and contain aromatic, generally acidic pulp and juice which can be sour or sweet depending on the variety.
Distribution: The well-known lime tree, C. aurantifolia, isprobably indigenous to southern Asia or Indonesia, and appears to have been introduced into the Pacific Islands relatively soon after European contact (Thaman and Whistler 1996). Today, this species of lime is commonly cultivated in home gardens on some Pacific Islands; it is also sometimes planted in monospecific plantations, e.g., in Fiji, Niue, and the Cook Islands. C. aurantifolia occasionally becomes naturalized in Micronesia and is the only Citrus species well established in Kiribati and some other atolls in the region.
Uses by Island or Island Group: Citrus aurantifolia is a generally cultivated for its lime juice which is “used to mariande raw fish, make drinks, and for flavoring food and desserts” (Clarke and Thaman 1993); but it also has other uses in some of the Micronesian Islands as noted below.
Uses in Palau: The lime tree, C. aurantiifolia, is typically planted around homes in Palau and is used for cooking purposes such as flavoring. The extracted juice of lime fruit has also been used for treating a stomachache as well as removing clothing blemishes and cleaning dishes and surfaces. Lime juice is reportedly strong enough to remove betel nut juice stains.
Uses in the Mariana Islands: C. aurantiifolia lime was probably introduced into the Mariana Islands by the Spanish some hundreds of years ago (Contact between these islands and European civilization began in 1521 when Magellan and crew arrived in Guam). Lime trees have a lengthy history in these islands where they have been used as bordering foliage, and their fruits are used in cooking and medicinal remedies. According to Safford (1905:228), on Guam, the lime tree (which he classified as C. hystrix acida), “is especially well adapted for hedges” and its fruit was “the principal source of the well-known lime juice of commerce.” Safford reported this introduced tree crop to be be “very common” on Guam where it “produces continuously” and the “natives use it for flavoring some of their dishes, squeezing a little of the juice on beef and venison [cattle and deer were both introduced to Guam after European contact] and sometimes scraping off the outer rind and preserving the fruit in [syrup]”According to McMakin (1978:45), on Guam the juice of ripe lime fruit “is mixed with water and sugar to make a lemonade that relieves coughing.” The lime tree has been recorded from various of the Mariana Islands. For example, Fosberg et al. (1975:29) reported C. aurantifolia occurring on Agrigan, Alamagan and Sarigan in the Northern Mariana Islands where it had been cultivated or was “persisting in and around villages or plantations.” Donnegan et al. (2008) also recorded C. aurantifolia in their extensive forest inventory survey of the Northern Mariana Islands; and Pratt (2011:65) specifically indicated that C. aurantifolia was being cultivated “and persisting near village and old caldera wall” of the volcano in north Pagan Island.
Uses in Yap: Tominaga et al. (1995) noted that tropical fruit crops, including citrus plants, are cultivated by local farmers for their personal or family consumption throughout Yap and the other Federated States of Micronesia. However, these researchers pointed out that “citrus” was not “an agricultural industry of economic importance” in Yap State, “even though the environmental conditions are suitable for the such production.” Tominaga et al. (2003:93), also reported their botanical identification of the “Citrus individuals” they collected in Yap State; and those collected on Yap Island were identified as belonging to six species with three hybrids between these species, while those specimens that they collected on Mogmog and Falalop Islands of Ulithi Atoll belonged to only three species. More recently, Falanruw (2015:206) referred to the large number of species and varieties of Citrus that have been introduced to Yap, “both in the distant past and more recently, and some appear to have hybridized on island.” In here recent guide book on the trees of Yap, Falanruw chose to discuss all of these Citrus plants together and “only in general” due to their cultivar nature and “complicated taxonomy.” She did note that most of the citrus fruits in Yap “are green or partly green, even when ripe.”
Uses on Namoluk Atoll: According to Marshall (1975:21), the C. aurantifolia lime plant was not introduced to Namoluk until after the German government physician Max Girschner did his ethnobotanical research on this atoll in the early part of the 20th century (see Girschner 1912); however, since that time this lime species has become relatively useful as a multipurpose plant on Namoluk. Marshall (1975:37) referred to small C. aurantifolia lime “tree”as being cultivated near homes and planted in the interior of islets on this atoll where he described them as held in high esteem, in particuar for their fruit, but also for their wood:
“The limes are eaten, and their juice is squeezed over raw fish. Leaves also figure in cooking as a flavoring for soup, occasionally are boiled as a substitute for coffee and are used in herbal medicine. Supple saplings are bent into frames for fish nets, and the wood is fashioned into adze handles and outrigger attachments for canoes.”
Uses in Pohnpei: Englberger et al. (2009:119) listed C. aurantiifolia as a “traditional” fruit with three varieties on Pohpei where it is referred to as “karer, peren” and also “marketed.” Luelen Bernart (1886-1946) was a member of a well-known Pohnpeian family who recognized the depth of his traditional Pohnpeian knowledge. Although there are some interpretive problems in the background influences affecting this Pohnpeian man, his highly regarded The Book of Luelen is generally regarded as the most complete account of Pohnpeian history ever been written by a native of that island. Luelen Bernart book provides a broad account of Pohnpei from the time of its mythical creation to the earliest European contact. Myths and legends interwoven with history and botanical lore provide a rich source of information about this island.” (see Fischer et al 1977a). Among the botanical references in Luelen’s book are notable comments about the uses and symbolic significance of some Citrus species on Pohnpei. Confusion surrounding the names for Citrus plants on Pohnpei, and the origin of at least one lime tree type (native or introduced), is discussed in some detail in the Annotations to the Book of Luelen (in Chapter 48, annotation 3; see Fischer et al. 1977b:61-62) published along with The Book of Luelen (Fischer et al. (1977a).
“Phonemicising and meaning unclear. This name is not given by Glassman (1952). As Luelen gives it (see end of paragraph) it is an old synonym for karer, which is a word used nowadays to mean both the lime (Citrus aurantifolia) and the orange (C. sinensis). (In Gulick’s vocabulary karer means only ‘sour, tart’.) But oranges seem to be a European introduction to Ponape. Kesner says that motokoi is a native lime, rough-skinned and sour, growing like a vine, and that this and karer-en-wel are native, all other varieties of citrus being introduced. O ’Connell (1836:199), at the time of the very beginning of Europan contact at Ponape, refers to ‘an inferior species of lime or lemon’, and Gulick (1858:47) some twenty years later says, ‘One plant of the genus Citrus grows wild. It bears fruit about two-and-a-half inches in diameter, which no one will be liable to confound with the Pomme d’Adam . . . The interior is coarse, dry, and . . . somewhat bitter.’ In Gulick’s Ponapean vocabulary pot is given for lime, paran for orange, as though two citrus species occurred, but of course this is in the time when plant introductions had begun. As for Kusaie [Kosrae], where the incidents of this paragraph occur, there were apparently two kinds of citrus aboriginally. Lesson (1839:139), at Kusaie [Kosrae] in 1824, says: ‘The lemon and orange trees seemed indigenous to me . . . Their fruit . . . are very bitter and cannot be used . . . ,’ and Lutke (1835:339), at Kusaie three years later, also refers to oranges. Which ever variety is meant in the story, its sourness was enough to cause the woman to shudder. The name karer appears to be a causative form of rer-rer, to tremble or shudder, and thus means etymologically ‘that which causes to shudder’. In the present version by Luelen it is the eating of the fruit that causes the woman to shudder and to conceive a child. In Hambruch 111:67 and 111:69 the shudder and conception are caused by the Thunder God’s sprinkling of citrus juice on her. In Hambruch 111:75 a protege of the Thunder God cuts off the woman’s eyelids and then sprinkles the juice in her face. Kesner gives a version in which the juice is squeezed into her eyes. In Sarfert’s Kusaie version the Nanmariki of Kiti, who is at war, seeks to gain help from Kusaie by sending a coconut to that island where an old woman eats it and conceives a son, the future conqueror of Ponape. R’s informant Lui has the Thunder God impregnating the woman by giving her four limes and four pieces of flesh cut from the cheek or gill of the needlefish on whose back he had ridden from Ponape. Always the woman is of the Under-the-Breadfruit Clan, to which the Thunder God belongs too, and Lui and Warren say she was originally from Ponape. Warren, in fact, says that she was the Thunder God’s sister. From the point of view of symbolism, the giving of flesh is a less disguised view of the sexual act than the giving of limes, and tends to strengthen the implication that the hero Ijokelekel is regarded as being born of clan incest. (Later, his son and his sister also commit incest.) This may have contributed to the rank and prestige of the offspring. Compare the well-known brother-sister marriages in Hawaii for the purpose of producing offspring of high rank and taboo quality”(Fischer et al. 1977b:61-62).
Some of the wide variety of medicinal uses that Pohnpeian people have for diverse parts of C. aurantifolia,the lime tree (known in Pohnpei as Karer laman or Laman), is described below:
“The young leaves are used for coughing. You have to boil the leaves and drink the boiling water. Karer can also be used for headache. You can take the young leaves, pound them and put them in oil. When you have a headache, apply to skin. The green leaves are used for umwulap (steam bath) when you have a cold or flu. You can also mix the leaves with other leaves and boil the mixture, drink to help the blood vessels, the muscles, and other bodily organs. The juice of the fruit, drunk undiluted, is [also] good for coughing. Any cut not caused by a knife can be treated with undiluted juice. This will hurt, but the wound will heal more rapidly. The skin of the tree (kelupwur) can be cut into pieces, put into a cloth, placed in boiling water, squeezed into a cup, and drank. This will cure soumwahu en lusulus. Soumwahu en lusulus is characterized by high fever and convulsions. Locals tend to refer to this as "jumping" sickness.” (Loveleen James, Serlinda Soukon, see http://www.comfsm.fm/~dleeling/botany/1999/vhp/citrus_aurantifolia.html).
Balick et al. (2009:490-491) who referred to the consumption of lime fruits as food, they also provided more information regarding the medicinal uses of the lime tree in Pohnpei:
“The plant is used to make a local tea… To treat shortness of breath… To treat a wound such as stepping on a rusty nail or other sharp rusty objects, the fruit is cut in half, placed over the fire for two to three minutes, and placed on the wound to extract the rust….To treat fever…. To treat lusulus (seizures)….To calm the somwahu en rerrer (seizure sickness)…. To treat influenza….”
Uses in Kosrae: “A full lime is squeezed into hot water to create a very strong and tart tea that treats coughing associated with a cold.” (Loveleen James, see http://www.comfsm.fm/~dleeling/botany/1999/vhp/citrus_aurantifolia.html).
Uses in the Marshall Islands: Lime trees are occasionally found cultivated in household gardens on Majuro and sometimes found near taro pits. Lime was more common in the past before introduced soft drinks and imported spices became widely available. It is one of the few citrus fruits that seem to do well on atolls. The juice is used to make drinks, season cooking, and to marinate raw fish, and the leaves are used to make local tea. Medicinally it is used to treat asthma and chest infections (also see Taafaki et al. 2006).
Uses in Kiribati: The lime tree, C. aurantifolia,is referred to as a food plant in Kiribati (Catala 1957). “Occasionally planted in villages and home gardens; seems to grow well in the atoll environment; ripe fruit highly desired for marinating fish, squeezing on food, and for making drinks” (Thaman 1990).
Uses in Nauru: Lime trees are planted on Nauru where the juice of fruit is “used to marinate raw fish and to make drinks” (Thaman et al. 1994:191).