Family: Euphorbiaceae
Common name: False lime tree, Ruas-ruas, Ban Naranga, Karbi, Kuki
False lime tree is a small evergreen tree that produces yellow-orange fruits that look like tiny limes, giving the tree its name. They are native to India and Southeast Asian countries like Bangladesh, China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam; and can grow well in warm, tropical weather.
Tree Characteristics
False lime trees only grow about 5-15 meters tall, with well-branched stem that gives the tree a rounded canopy. They usually grow like a large bush with multiple stems or a single main stem. The stem of the False lime tree is slender and woody with a smooth, pale brown bark.
Leaves are dark green, glossy, leathery, lance-shaped with a rounded tip. They are 8-15 cm long and 4-6 cm wide, with smooth margins. False lime tree leaves can be dense or sparse depending on the growing conditions, the tree developing a thicker foliage when there is abundant sunlight.
The relatively short tree with dense foliage makes it a good choice for home gardens. Their glossy green leaves and small fruits make them attractive in landscaping projects where you need small trees that do not have very deep roots.
Flowers of the False lime tree are very distinctive, small white or creamy-yellow flowers that look like small pom-poms.
Each plant produces separate male and female flowers, that appear in clusters opposite to where the leaves are attached, called leaf-opposed inflorescence. This is one of the distinguishing features of the False lime tree.
Flowering happens in spring and summer, the mildly fragrant flowers attracting all kinds of pollinators into the garden. The flowering period of the False Lime tree can last several weeks, when small, fluffy white flowers bloom all along the stem of the plant.
After pollination, the flowers produce small rounded fruits that are 2-3 cm in diameter, containing 3 distinct lobes. Each lobe has white-colored flesh surrounding the seeds that are small, black, and rounded, .5 cm in diameter. Small fruits are green in color, maturing into an orange color.
Gardening Tips
False Lime trees are very easy to grow since they are sturdy and require very little attention. These trees need good sunlight to grow and flower well. They are tolerant of poor soil conditions, but the soil should be well-drained.
Watering is needed when the trees are small, and during extreme summer months when the plant is flowering profusely. Fertilize once in 2-3 months with animal manure or vermicompost. Usually, the tree does not need pruning since their canopies grow well-rounded and beautiful.
False Lime Trees are susceptible to aphid and mealy bug infestations, which should be addressed quickly. They can be manually removed with a strong stream of water, or with organic pesticides.
Since these trees are small, they can be grown on the ground, or even in large containers. They do not do well indoors, but they can be grown near sunny windows in temperate weather.
Uses of False Lime Tree
The most common use of False Lime Tree is as an ornamental, though many parts of the tree have medicinal uses in traditional herbal medicine. They are used in the treatment of fever, eczema, skin infections, itching, inflammations, and liver diseases.
Wood from the tree is used to make rafters and tool handles. They are also commonly used as firewood. These trees are slow growers, taking their time to establish themselves in the soil before growing a thick, strong stem.
These trees grow near forests and are not very common in urban settings, though they are valuable for their ornamental and medicinal properties.
Propagation
Propagation is through seeds, cuttings, or grafting.
Seeds taken from mature fruits can be planted in moist soil to germinate in 2-3 weeks. Stem cuttings taken from healthy plants can root in moist soil in a few weeks, but the success rate is not excellent.
Grafting, or joining a healthy piece of stem to a rootstock is also a good method of propagation.
Photographed at: KAAC Wildlife Resort, Kabini
