Lemon
Citrus × limon
Family: Rutaceae
The "true" lemons derive from one common hybrid ancestor, having diverged by mutation. The original lemon was a hybrid between a male citron and a female sour orange, itself a pomelo/pure-mandarin hybrid; citrons contribute half of the genome, while the other half is divided between pomelo and mandarin. There are other hybrids also known as 'lemons'. Rough lemons arose from a cross between citron and mandarin, without the pomelo contribution found in true lemons, while the Meyer lemon comes from a citron crossed with a sweet (as opposed to sour) orange.
True lemons are native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar, and China.
Lemons are supposed to have entered Europe near southern Italy no later than the second century AD, during the time of Ancient Rome. They were later introduced to Persia and then to Iraq and Egypt around 700 AD. The lemon was first recorded in literature in a 10th-century Arabic treatise on farming and was also used as an ornamental plant in early Islamic gardens. It was distributed widely throughout the Arab world and the Mediterranean region between 1000 and 1150. An article on Lemon and lime tree cultivation in Andalusia, Spain, is brought down in Ibn al-'Awwam's 12th-century agricultural work, Book on Agriculture.
The first substantial cultivation of lemons in Europe began in Genoa in the middle of the 15th century. The lemon was later introduced to the Americas in 1493, when Christopher Columbus brought lemon seeds to Hispaniola on his voyages. Spanish conquest throughout the New World helped spread lemon seeds. It was mainly used as an ornamental plant and for medicine. In the 19th century, lemons were increasingly planted in Florida and California.
In 1747, James Lind's experiments on seamen suffering from scurvy involved adding lemon juice to their diets, though vitamin C was not yet known as an important dietary ingredient.
DESCRIPTION & TYPES
Lemons are evergreen subtropical trees. The true lemons typically reach 10-20’ tall. But plants are often planted on different rootstock which can cause them to be dwarf or semi-dwarf so pay attention to the labels on the plants. Frost will also limit how large they can get because the tips can be frozen back below 32°F.
Eureka Lemon varieties produce an abundance of fine, market-quality fruit year-round. Large, juicy lemons with very few seeds are borne at an early age.
Variegated Pink Lemon is a type of Eureka lemon, a weird sport with pink flesh, and variegated foliage and variegated peels.
Lisbon Lemon varieties are medium in size, oblong, with a prominent nipple. The rind is slightly textured and yellow at full maturity. The flesh is pale greenish-yellow, low-seeded, and very acidic.
Rough Lemon (Citrus × jambhiri Lush.) is the fruit and the tree of a citrus hybrid, a cross between mandarin orange and citron. They can get up to 20’ tall. They need to be protected from frost, but grow back from damage.
Meyer Lemon (Citrus × meyeri) is not actually a real lemon, but a cross between a citron and a mandarin/pomelo hybrid. It has low acidity. Meyer Lemon Trees are very cold hardy and can withstand temperatures down to about 20 degrees. They grow to about 10’ tall.
Ponderosa Lemon (Citrus limon × Citrus medica) is a hybrid of pomelo and citron, yet tastes like a lemon. It produces larger fruit with a thick, yellow, bumpy rind and many seeds. Possessing spiny branches that bear fruit throughout the year, it is less cold-hardy than 'Lisbon' and is often grown as an ornamental.
USES
Lemon is a rich source of vitamin C, providing 64% of the Daily Value in a 100 g reference amount. Other essential nutrients are low in content.
Lemon juice, rind, and peel are used in a wide variety of foods and drinks. The whole lemon is used to make marmalade, lemon curd and lemon liqueur. Lemon slices and lemon rind are used as a garnish for food and drinks. Lemon zest, the grated outer rind of the fruit, is used to add flavor to baked goods, puddings, rice, and other dishes.
The leaves of the lemon tree are used to make a tea and for preparing cooked meats and seafoods.
In Morocco, lemons are preserved in jars or barrels of salt. The salt penetrates the peel and rind, softening them, and curing them so that they last almost indefinitely. The preserved lemon is used in a wide variety of dishes. Preserved lemons can also be found in Sicilian, Italian, Greek, and French dishes.
Here are 67 recipes to help you be creative with lemons.
PRESERVATION
Lemons can be dehydrated in wheels, which has a lot of use, especially in Mexican cuisine. You can also freeze the peeled, and separated fruits. The aforementioned Moroccan preserved lemons will last a long time in the refrigerator.
GROWING
Lemons should be planted in amended soil, in full sun. Plant appreciate mulching so long as you don’t bury the root flare of the tree.
How often you water depends on your soil, and the method of watering that you use. In winter, once a month deeply is sufficient. As it warms up in the spring, go to every other week, again…deeply. In the height of summer you might water once a week to every two weeks, deeply. Pull back watering in September to harden off new growth.
Feed citrus trees with an organic, general purpose fertilizer once a month February through August. Or you can feed three times a year in February, May, and August.
Pruning isn’t necessary, in our opinion, except for grafted trees—prune any branches that emerge from below the graft scar, as these branches will not produce the fruits you aim to grow, but from the root stock.
Protect plants from frost in the winter.
You might notice a few species of butterfly on your trees, and their larvae. Citrus trees provide as larval hosts for a few species of swallowtail, especially the giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)—the larvae look like bird poop, an excellent camouflage to protect themselves from predators.