We often get asked about the seeds, or lack of them in Lemons and limes and how a fruit without a seed could be Organic.
Limes
Limes can have seeds, but it depends on the type of lime. The most common type of lime is the Persian lime, which is seedless. This is also the one that we supply most commonly. However, there are other types of limes, such as Key limes, that are smaller and have a more intense flavour and contain seeds. The Persian Lime actual originally comes from a cross between a Key Lime (of pie fame) and a lemon
Interestingly, limes reproduce via parthenocarpy, which means they don’t need to be pollinated to produce fruit. This is why most limes are seedless, including organic ones.
Parthenocarpy is a phenomenon in botany and horticulture where fruit is produced without fertilization of ovules, which makes the fruit seedless. The term comes from the Greek words “parthenos” meaning virgin and “karpos” meaning fruit.
Lemons
Generally lemons have seeds. There are some commercially produced lemons that do not have seeds and this has been achieved through very innovative breeding techniques largely by one Australian Farmer. However this has not yet made it into the wider world of production so you will find seeds in our lemons.