Atalantia monophylla

Wild lime or Kattu elumichai

• Also called Indian atalantia, Wild lime, Wild orange
• Tamil Kattu elumichai (காட்டு எலுமிச்சை)
• Telugu Adavi nimma (అడవి నిమ్మ)
• Kannada Adavi nimbe (ಅಡವಿ ನಿಂಬೆ)
• Marathi Makadlimbu (मकड़लिम्बु)

Small, often thorny evergreen tree

What it is

Atalantia monophylla is a small, much-branched tree of the citrus family. Its name means one leaf: each leaf is single and simple, bright green and glossy above, often with a notched tip. Most plants carry one sharp spine at each leaf joint, though some have none. Small white flowers are followed by round fruits 1.5 to 2 cm across that ripen yellowish green. It grows wild in dry forests of India, Sri Lanka and South-East Asia.

What it's used for

• A survey of the Valaiyan community in Tamil Nadu recorded its fruit juice, mixed with honey, as a traditional cough remedy.
• It is used in Siddha and Ayurvedic tradition, notably for rheumatism and fever.
• As a wild relative of lemons and oranges, it keeps citrus diversity alive in native forest.

Where we plant it

Our partners plant the mix of native species that suits each site and season, so a gift plants trees in the project rather than this one species. Atalantia monophylla is one of the species planted there.

Read more about Atalantia monophylla on tropical.theferns.info