The health status of most of the commercially available finger lime cultivars is largely unknown as they have not been tested by the Australian Citrus Propagation Association Incorporated (Auscitrus). Auscitrus budwood trees are regularly tested to ensure freedom from exocortis, psorosis and other graft transmissible pathogens. Currently Auscitrus maintains mother trees of Citrus australasica var. sanguinea ‘Rainforest Pearl’ as well as the cultivars C. australasica ‘D1’ and ‘Ruby’ in their insect proof repository.
At present there are a number of finger lime selections available and commercially grown. These selections fall into the following categories.
1. Varieties registered with Plant Breeders Rights (PBR). PBR varieties are protected and administered under the Plant Breeders Rights Act 1994. In order to be granted PBR the applicant must show that the new variety is distinct from all other varieties, is uniform and is stable in cultivation. PBR is granted for 25 years for tree and vine varieties. These varieties can only be propagated under licence from the owner of that variety.
At present there is only one finger lime variety protected by PBR. It is owned by A T Eyles & Sons citrus nursery at Kenthurst, NSW.
• Citrus australasica var. sanguinea ‘Rainforest Pearl’ – a small open upright tree producing green fruit tinged with crimson with a pink flesh. (Figure 8.) This variety has been widely planted due to its long-term commercial availability. It is grown under licence and available from A T Eyles citrus nursery in Kenthurst NSW, Birdwood nursery in Qld and Citrees nursery in WA.
2. Cultivars that have been registered with the Australian Cultivar Registration Authority (ACRA). ACRA is the International Registration Authority for Australian plant genera. A cultivar is the basic grouping for cultivated varieties. Cultivated