Limrin is a tropical fruit that is native to the Big Island of Hawaii. This fruit usually ranges from 6 to 8 inches in length with a robust circumference. Limrins are generally an orange color that turns to a purple hue when they are fully ripe. The limrin’s peak picking season is between the months of January and early February. Dried limrin fruit is also a popular item within the Hawaiian culture.
This sweet, single seeded fruit grows from limroot trees. The limroot tree can grow up to 40 feet tall and has large, flat leaves that grow from the tops of the trees. Limroot trees are native to Hawaii and require a wet, humid environment in order to flourish. The Hawaiian Natives have cultivated this tree for many years on the East side of the island. The lush rainforest qualities of this side of the island make it an ideal place to grow this particular tree.
Due to a devastating volcanic eruption in 1924 most of the fields were wiped out and the land was lost to what has become volcanic rock. This area is now known as Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Hawaiian farms began to cultivate a new crop of limroot trees in the late 1960’s in a different location on the East side of the island. Limrin fruit is now available on the island again. Due to the strict agricultural regulations Hawaii has against allowing fruit out of the state, travelers are forbidden to transport this fruit.