Hybrid lime plant named ‘C4-5-14’

Genus and species:sp.

Cultivar denomination: ‘C4-5-14’.

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The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of hybrid lime, botanically known assp., and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘C4-5-14’.sp. is a member of Rutaceae.

The new hybrid lime cultivar ‘C4-5-14’ is a triploid hybrid from a zygotic seed from a tetraploid female parent. More specifically, the new hybrid lime cultivar ‘C4-5-14’ is a complex hybrid of, and, namely, it is the result of an interploid cross of allotetraploid somatic hybrid [‘Santa Teresa’ lemon+‘Lakeland’ limequat] (seed parent) x diploid ‘Cook Eureka’ lemon (pollen parent; unpatented). Neither ‘Santa Teresa’ nor ‘Lakeland’ are patented. The original tree was a zygotic seedling planted (on its own roots) in Lake Alfred, Florida, in 2014. True-to-typeness through propagation was demonstrated by planting trees produced from pathogen-free PTP (Parent Tree Program) budwood on ‘UFR-5’ rootstock in Lake Alfred, Florida, in November of 2021.

Plant Breeder's Rights for this cultivar have not been applied for. The new hybrid lime cultivar ‘C4-5-14’ has not been made publicly available more than one year prior to the filing of this application.

The new hybrid lime cultivar ‘C4-5-14’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype of the new cultivar may vary with variations in environment and cultural practices such as temperature, light intensity, fertilization, irrigation, and application of plant growth regulators without any change in genotype.

The new hybrid lime cultivar ‘C4-5-14’ was selected from a population of triploid seedlings from the cross outlined above for its initial productivity and subsequent huanglongbing (HLB,greening) tolerance. Fruit of the new cultivar resembles ‘Key’ (Mexican) lime (x, also referred to as Mexican lime) more so than Persian lime (x) for size, color and flavor. Some fruit can be larger than that of ‘Key’ lime, but the average size is smaller than that of Persian Lime. Like ‘Key’ lime, fruit of the new cultivar ‘C4-5-14’ turns yellow on the tree when over-ripe. The interior color of the fruit becomes more yellow as the fruit matures, and does not have a green interior like Persian limes. Fruit of ‘C4-5-14’ is consistently aromatic and juicy, with a strong lime fragrance. Trees exhibit multiple blooms throughout the year, so there is usually mature fruit available on the tree most of the year. This makes ‘C4-5-14’ an excellent candidate for the dooryardmarket, as well as the fresh fruit industry. Fruit right off the tree has a ‘waxed’ appearance.

There are no data supporting long-term field performance or yield for the new cultivar ‘C4-5-14’. However, multiple trees grown on ‘UFR-5’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 27,298) rootstock that were planted in November of 2021 grew vigorously without individual protective covers (IPCs) and without antibiotic treatments, and these trees began fruiting heavily in spring of 2024. No obvious tree-debilitating disease problems have been observed in the trees or fruit of trees of the new cultivar that have been grown so far. ‘C4-5-14’ needs to be tested on multiple rootstocks to identify any incompatibilities that might arise, as the ‘Cook Eureka’ lemon (unpatented) and kumquat parentage have both shown incompatibility issues with some trifoliate hybrid rootstocks.

Plant of the new hybrid lime cultivar ‘C4-5-14’ differ from plants of the female parent, allotetraploid somatic hybrid [‘Santa Teresa’ lemon+‘Lakeland’ limequat], in the following characteristics:

Plant of the new hybrid lime cultivar ‘C4-5-14’ differ from plants of the male parent, diploid ‘Cook Eureka’ lemon, in the following characteristics:

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S.) Colour Chart, 1986 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.