USPP444P - Lime tree - Google Patents

Description

G. L; POLK Plant Pat. 444

Jan. 28, 1941.

LIME TREE Filed June 4, 1940 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 28, 1941 UNITED STATES Plant Pat. 444

PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My discovery relates to a lime tree and its fruit. More particularly, my discovery comprises a novel and distinctive variety of lime tree and its fruit, which originated as the sport of a budded tree of the well known regular Persian lime stock.

In the accompanying drawing of my lime tree and its fruit, I show in Fig. 1 a piece of bearing wood having three leaves and several of the blossoms. The drawing illustrates quite well the shape of the leaves and the nature of the blossoms. In Fig. 2, I show a small piece of a bearing branch with the fruit in process oi growth. Fig.

3 illustrates the shape of the fruit, as well as the feature that my lime does not have a lemon shaped tip on its bud end, there being but the outline of a scar where the bud end would normally be. Fig. 4 shows a section of the fruit of Fig. 3 and illustrates the nature thereof.

I'he new lime tree is propagated through budding or grafting, and has been budded on root stocks such as rough lemon, grapefruit, Cleopatra and sour orange. In all cases, the tree has constantly retained its identity, and the variety has not played out, as so often happens with supposed discoveries of new varieties.

The tree of my new lime grows somewhat more slowly than does the standard Persian lime tree, and its leaves are much deeper green, are heavier, and somewhat rounded at the tips. The bearing Wood is much harder than is the wood of the Persian lime tree, and is decidedly striped, being similar in this respect to the bearing wood of orange trees. Moreover, while in the Persian lime tree the branches are inclined to droop, the branches of my tree grow upright and are inclined to make a much better shaped and more compact tree than the Persian lime.

The fruit of my tree matures somewhat earlier than does the fruit of the Persian lime, and I find my tree considerably more prolic than the Persian lime. The limes produced on my tree are round in shape and there are no lemon shaped tips formed on the bud end, as in the case of the Persian lime. While the fruit is slightly smaller than the fruit of the Persian lime, it has the same general appearance as the Persian lime, and about the same degree of seedlessness. The juice content of my lime fruit is. equivalent to that of the Persian lime, except, that in the earlier stages of development, it has more juice than the Persian and other limes.

I have found that my tree is very much more resistant to all the fungus diseases that .are so fatal to the standard Persian lime. It seem that the fungus does not attack the wood as it does the wood of other lime trees. As a basis of comparison, it may be said that my tree is about as resistant to diseases of the bark as is the round orange tree. To illustrate the nature of my tree and its resistance to fungus, I have in the last few years top-worked over twenty large citrus trees of rough lemon and grapefruit root to my new lime, .and they have made magnicent trees, all quite clean of fungus. Other and even larger citrus trees top-worked to Persian limes and under similar conditions, have been badly infected by fungus. In addition, my tree has proven more resistant to dry weather than the Persian lime.

In adidtion to the tree being resistant to fungus, the fruit thereof is also much more resistant to fungus than is the fruit of the Persian lime. While in the case of the Persian lime it is well known that the fruit tends to decay on the tree, it does not do so on my tree.

Where originated: Grove of Mrs. Julia Polk, north side of Avocado Drive, East of Krome Avenue, Dade County, Florida.

When originated: Prior to 1934.

How originated: Bud sport of Persian lime tree.

By whom originated: George L. Polk.

When first propagated: October, 1934.

By whom rst propagated: George L. Polk.

By whom introduced to the trade: Not yet introduced.

When introduced to the trade: Not yet introduced. v

Name and address present owner: George L.

Polk, Homestead, Florida.

Where specimens described were grown: Grove of George L. Polk, Homestead, Florida.

Dates rst and last picking: June 10-October l (estimated) Tree: Medium, vigorous, spreading, dense, productive, regular bearer.

Trama-Medium.

Branches.-Stocky, much divided, branchlets rounded, spines small and stiff, relatively scarce compared to common Persian lime. Vegetative growth (suckers) slight, vigorous.

Leaves-Thick, leathery, large, dense, dark green uni-foliate, elliptical, bluntly pointed; glands numerous; peticles narrowly winged, distinct from blade-twig.

Keeping quaZity.-Good.

Shipping quaZz'ty.-Good.

Resistance to: Insects-medium; diseasesgood.

General notes: This plant diiers from the ordi- Form-Uniform; symmetrical; regularnary Persian lime, of which it is a bud sport,

oblique; globose, slightly obovoid. Basein the following characteristics: 1. Type of "rounded, smooth. Apex-scarred', flat. growthit makes a, considerably more stocky, Navel-wanting.

erect tree, with unusually stout flushes of Stem--Sz'ze-shor t stout; color-light- 5 growth which resist wind damage to a greater green; postimz-straight.

degree than do those of the Persian. 2. Fruit- Calin-Raised; segments-number 5, obtuse. the fruit is consistently smaller than the Per- 'RndF-Adherent t0, pulp; C1056. Surfacesian lime and develops a satisfactory content grained. FlavOT-Armatie, testing 0f of available juice ,at an earlier stage. The fruit lime oil; thickness-3fm to %2 inch. Color- 10 is as a rule quite round, and is distinguished green; blOOm-Wanting; Oil Cells-inconby the ilat base and the persistent style, which spicuous, medium, even.

remains umu the fruit 1s ready to pick, at Segments-Number 10; size-uniform; clins which time it falls away easily, leaving a slight together; dorsal surface-flat; segment scar. 3. Resistance to drought-trees of this walls-thin, tender. lime budded on rootstocks of rough lemon, Flesh colon-Very light green. Texturegrapefruit, sour orange and Cleopatra have entender, melting. Rag in, flesh-little; dured severe droughts with noticeably less wiltvesicles-long, naI'IOW. Form Similar t0 ing and reduction of crop than trees of ordi- Persian. Juce-abundant, evenly distribnary Persian lime under the same conditions. uted in sections. Color-very light green. 4. Resistance to diseasethe tree is highly re- F lavOf-daed, rich. Quality-best.

sistant to the lime bark disease which is SeedS.-Wantir1g.

commonly found in the ordinary Persian. At- Pith.-Solid; thickness-f inch.

tempts to induce the disease by inoculation gewone-Early Compared With Common Perhave consistently failed. 5. ProZificness--the Sian lime. tree bears larger crops of fruit than Persian I Claim,

limes under the same conditions.

A new .and distinct variety of lime tree as Flowers.-Norma1 period of bloom-late winter, two lesser blooms in late spring and summer; solitary and small terminal cymes.

Fruit:

described, characterized by its resistance to those fungus diseases which attack lime trees, its prolific bearing habits, and the shape of its fruit.

GEORGE L. POLK.

Size- U n i f o r m: circumference-5 1/2-5% inches; axial diam-about 1% inches; transverse-1% inches.

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