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Master Gardener: Citrus limetta looks like lemon, may not taste like one

10:00 PM PST on Friday, February 19, 2010

By OTTILLIA 'TOOTS' BIER
Special to The Press-Enterprise

Q: One of my neighbors has a citrus tree with pudgy, round, lemon-colored fruit with an indented nipple. The fruit did not smell like a lemon and had overtones of flowers and cleaning supplies in the scent of its peel. It was virtually tasteless although it was a little sweet. The previous owner of the house planted it and my neighbor has no idea what it is; do you?

A: The fruit you describe sounds like a lemon-like species of citrus known as Citrus limetta. There are three limettas that have varying degrees of acidity. The Limonette de Marrakech has about as much acid as a conventional lemon, the Millsweet has a little acid and tastes something like watered-down lemonade, and the Mediterranean sweet lemon has virtually no acid and is quite bland. The fruits all physically resemble each other: round to slightly oval, a yellow rind with a citrus-floral scent, and a prominently indented nipple. Of the three, Millsweet is most-commonly available as a nursery tree. The low-acid and acidless lemons are prized in Latin American and many Middle Eastern countries. I hope this solves your mystery.