Citrus limetta
| Citrus limetta | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Rutaceae |
| Genus: | Citrus |
| Species: | C. limetta
|
| Binomial name | |
| Citrus limetta | |
Citrus limetta, alternatively considered to be a cultivar of Citrus limon, C. limon 'Limetta', is a species of citrus, commonly known as mousami, musami, mosambi, sweet lime, sweet lemon, and sweet limetta, it is a member of the sweet lemons. It is small and round, like a common lime. It is a cross between the citron (Citrus medica) and a bitter orange (Citrus × aurantium).
It is native to the southern regions of Iran and also cultivated in the Mediterranean Basin. It is a different fruit from the Palestinian sweet lime and from familiar sour limes such as the Key lime and the Persian lime. However, genomic analysis revealed that it is highly similar to Rhobs el Arsa, and the two likely represent progeny of distinct crosses involving the same citrus parents.
The South Asian cultivars originated in Mozambique and were brought to South Asia by the Portuguese. The common name mosambi and its variants trace their origin to Mozambique.