''Micromelum minutum'', commonly known as limeberry, dilminyin (east Arnhem Land). kimiar margibur ( Murray Island), tulibas tilos (Philippines), sesi (Indonesia) and samui (Thailand), is a species of small tree or shrub in the citrus plant family

Rutaceae The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in BoDD – Botanical Derm ...

. It occurs from India and Indochina to Australia. It has

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

leaves with egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaflets, hairy, pale green or creamish, scented flowers arranged in large groups and yellow to orange or red, oval to spherical berries in dense clusters.

Description

''Micromelum minutum'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of but also flowers and forms fruit as a dense shrub. The leaves are up to long and pinnate with seven to fifteen egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaflets long and wide on a petiolule up to long. The flowers are borne in large, hairy, scented groups long, each flower on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

up to long. The petals are pale green or creamish, long and there are ten

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s that alternate in length. Flowering occurs all year and the fruit a yellow to orange or red, oval to spherical berry about long.

Taxonomy

Limeberry was first formally described in 1786 by

Georg Forster Johann George Adam Forster, also known as Georg Forster (, 27 November 1754 – 10 January 1794), was a German naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist and revolutionary. At an early age, he accompanied his father, Johann Reinhold F ...

who gave it the name ''Limonia minuta'' and published the description in ''Florulae Insularum Australium Prodromus''. In 1834,

Wight A wight (Old English: ''wiht'') is a mythical sentient being, often undead. In its original use the word ''wight'' described a living human being, but has come to be used in fictional works in the fantasy genre to describe certain immortal bein ...

and

George Arnott Walker-Arnott George Arnott Walker Arnott of Arlary (6 February 1799 – 17 April 1868) was a Scottish botanist. Early life George Arnott Walker Arnott was born in Edinburgh in 1799, the son of David Walker Arnott of Arlary. He attended Milnathort Parish ...

changed the name to ''Micromelum minutum'' in their book ''Prodromus Florae Peninsulae Indiae Orientalis''.

Distribution and habitat

''Micromelum minutum'' grows as an understorey plant in rainforest, including dry rainforest and monsoon forest and from sea level to an altitude of . It also occurs in sandstone gorges and on karst formations far inland. The species occurs in Malesia, New Caledonia, Fiji and northern Australia. In Australia it is found in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, in the northern part of the Northern Territory, and south from the

Cape York Peninsula Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...

in Queensland. It was recorded in New South Wales prior to 1911.

Ecology

The larvae of some species of butterfly, including the orchard butterfly (''

Papilio aegeus ''Papilio aegeus'', the orchard swallowtail butterfly or large citrus butterfly is a species of butterfly from the family Papilionidae, that is found in eastern Australia and Papua New Guinea. The larvae of this species are sometimes considered ...

'') and canopus butterfly (''

Papilio fuscus ''Papilio fuscus'', the Canopus swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae, that is found on Timor, northern Australia, and New Guinea. The wingspan is about 80 mm. The larvae feed on Rutaceae species. Subspecies *''P. f. fus ...

'') use this species as a food source.

Uses

In Malesia and Indonesia, limeberry is used as medicine and the timber is used for construction.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6839669 Aurantioideae Flora of New South Wales Flora of the Northern Territory Flora of Queensland Taxa named by Georg Forster Plants described in 1786