Thelemon (Citrus ×limon) is aspecies of smallevergreen tree in theCitrus genus of theflowering plant familyRutaceae. The lemon is ahybrid of thecitron and thebitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some evidence suggests lemons originated during the 1st millennium BC in what is now northeasternIndia.
The yellowfruit of the lemon tree is used throughout the world, primarily for itsjuice. The pulp andrind are used in cooking and baking. The juice of the lemon is about 5–6%citric acid, giving it a sour taste. This makes it a key ingredient indrinks and foods such aslemonade andlemon meringue pie.
In 2022, world production was 22 milliontonnes, led by India with 18% of the total.
Description
The lemon tree produces a pointed oval yellowfruit. Botanically this is ahesperidium, a modifiedberry with a tough, leathery rind. The rind is divided into an outer colored layer orzest, which is aromatic withessential oils, and an inner layer of white spongy pith. Inside are multiplecarpels arranged as radial segments. The seeds develop inside the carpels. The space inside each segment is alocule filled withjuice vesicles.[2]
Lemons were most likely first grown in northeast India.[7] The origin of the wordlemon may be Middle Eastern.[7] The word draws from the Old Frenchlimon, then Italianlimone, from the Arabicليمونlaymūn orlīmūn, and from thePersianلیموlīmūn, a generic term forcitrus fruit, which is a cognate of Sanskrit (nimbū, 'lime').[8]
Lemons enteredEurope near southernItaly no later than the second century AD, during the time ofAncient Rome.[7] They were later introduced toPersia and then toIraq andEgypt around 700 AD.[7] The lemon was first recorded in literature in a 10th-centuryArabic treatise on farming; it was used as an ornamental plant in earlyIslamic gardens.[7] It was distributed widely throughout the Arab world and theMediterranean region in theArab Agricultural Revolution between 1000 and 1150.[7] A section on lemon and lime tree cultivation inAndalusia,Spain, was included inIbn al-'Awwam's 12th-century agricultural work,Kitāb al-Filāha ("Book on Agriculture").[9] The first substantial cultivation of lemons in Europe began inGenoa in the middle of the 15th century. It was introduced to theAmericas in 1493, whenChristopher Columbus brought lemon seeds toHispaniola on his voyages. Spanish conquest throughout theNew World helped spread lemon seeds, part of theColumbian exchange of plants between theOld and New Worlds. It was mainly used as an ornamental plant and for medicine.[7] In the 19th century, lemons were increasingly planted inFlorida andCalifornia.[7] In 1747, the English physicianJames Lind's experiments on seamen suffering fromscurvy involved adding lemon juice to their diets, thoughvitamin C was not yet known as an important dietary ingredient.[7][10]
Cultivation
Growing and pruning
Lemons need a minimum temperature of around 7 °C (45 °F), so they are not hardy year-round in temperate climates, but become hardier as they mature.[11] Citrus require minimal pruning by trimming overcrowded branches, with the tallest branch cut back to encourage bushy growth.[11] Throughout summer, pinching back tips of the most vigorous growth assures more abundant canopy development. As mature plants may produce unwanted, fast-growing shoots (called "water shoots"), these are removed from the main branches at the bottom or middle of the plant.[11] There is reputed merit in the tradition ofurinating near a lemon tree.[12][13]
In 2022, world production of lemons (combined withlimes for reporting) was 22 milliontonnes led by India with 18% of the total. Mexico and China were major secondary producers (table).
Varieties
The 'Bonnie Brae' is oblong, smooth, thin-skinned, and seedless.[18] These are mostly grown inSan Diego County, US.[19]
The 'Eureka' grows year-round and abundantly. This is the common supermarket lemon, also known as "Four Seasons" (Quatre Saisons) because of its ability to produce fruit and flowers together throughout the year. This variety is also available as a plant for domestic customers.[20] There is also apink-fleshed Eureka lemon with a green and yellowvariegated outer skin.[21]
The Lisbon lemon is very similar to the Eureka and is the other common supermarket lemon. It is smoother than the Eureka, has thinner skin, and has fewer or no seeds. It generally produces more juice than the Eureka.[22][23]
The 'Femminello St. Teresa', or 'Sorrento' originates in Italy. This fruit'szest is high in lemon oils. It is the variety traditionally used in the making oflimoncello.[24]
Lemon juice and rind are used in a wide variety of foods and drinks, the juice for its sour taste, from its content of 5–6%citric acid.[28] The whole lemon is used to makemarmalade,[29]lemon curd[30] andlemon liqueurs such asLimoncello.[31] Lemon slices and lemon rind are used as agarnish for food and drinks. Lemonzest, the grated outer rind of the fruit, is used to add flavor to baked goods.[32] The juice is used to makelemonade[33] and somecocktails.[34]
Lemon peel is used in the manufacture ofpectin, a gelling agent and stabilizer in food and other products.[39] In Mediterranean countries includingMorocco, 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.[40]
Lemon oil is extracted from oil-containing cells in the skin. A machine breaks up the cells and uses a water spray to flush off the oil. The oil–water mixture is then filtered and separated bycentrifugation.[41]
The leaves of the lemon tree are used to make a tea and for preparing cooked meats andseafoods.[42]
Lemons were the primary commercial source ofcitric acid before the development offermentation-based processes.[43]Lemon oil is used inaromatherapy. Lemon oil aroma does not influence the humanimmune system,[44] but may contribute to relaxation.[45]An educational science experiment involves attachingelectrodes to a lemon and using it as abattery to produce electricity. Although very low power, severallemon batteries can power a small digital watch.[46] Lemon juice forms a simpleinvisible ink, developed by heat.[47]Lemon juice is sometimes used to increase theblonde color of hair, acting as a natural highlight after the moistened hair is exposed to sunlight. This works because citric acid acts as bleach.[48][49]
Meyer lemon, a cross between a citron and a mandarin/pomelo hybrid distinct from sour or sweet orange,[51]
Ponderosa lemon, more cold-sensitive than true lemons, the fruit are thick-skinned and very large. Genetic analysis showed it to be a complex hybrid of citron and pomelo.[51]
Lemons appear in paintings, pop art, and novels.[52] A wall painting in thetomb of Nakht in 15th century BC Egypt depicts a woman in a festival, holding a lemon. In the 17th century,Giovanna Garzoni painted aStill Life with Bowl of Citrons, the fruits still attached to leafy flowering twigs, with a wasp on one of the fruits. TheimpressionistEdouard Manet depicted a lemon on a pewter plate. In modern art,Arshile Gorky paintedStill Life with Lemons in the 1930s.[52]
InIndia, a lemon may be ritually encircled around a person in the belief that it repels negative energies.[53] It is a common practice for Hindu owners of a new car to drive over four lemons, one under each wheel, crushing them during their first drive. This is believed to protect the driver from accidents.[54]Hindu deities are sometimes depicted with lemons in theiriconography, representing the attribute of wealth or abundance.[55]
In 20th century Americanself-improvement culture,Dale Carnegie advised readers "If You Have a Lemon, Make a Lemonade", meaning to make the best of what you have. In the 21st century, a defective machine such as a car is called a lemon.[56]
Fresco in theTomb of Nakht, woman with lemons, 15th century BC
^Ortiz, Jesus M. (2002). "Botany: taxonomy, morphology and physiology of fruits, leaves and flowers". In Di Giacomo, Angelo; Dugo, Giovanni (eds.).Citrus: The GenusCitrus. Taylor & Francis. pp. 25–26,29–30.ISBN978-0-2032-1661-3.
^Klein, Joshua D. (2014). "Citron Cultivation, Production and Uses in the Mediterranean Region".Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the Middle-East. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World. Vol. 2. pp. 199–214.doi:10.1007/978-94-017-9276-9_10.ISBN978-94-017-9275-2.
^Capomolla, Fabian; Pember, Matthew (2011). "Lemon".The Little Veggie Patch Co. Sydney, New South Wales: Plum. p. 129.ISBN9781742628417.Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. RetrievedApril 27, 2020.Urinating around a lemon tree provides a tonic of water, salt and minerals, much like that of an organic fertiliser
^Capomolla, Fabian (2017).Growing Food the Italian Way. The Hungry Gardener. Plum. p. 168.ISBN9781760554903.Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. RetrievedApril 27, 2020.Yes, it is true - urinating on the soil around a lemon tree is beneficial to the plant. Just don't overdo it, as that can be detrimental.
^Dimopoulou, Maria; Alba, Katerina; Campbell, Grant; Kontogiorgos, Vassilis (November 1, 2019). "Pectin recovery and characterization from lemon juice waste streams".Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.99 (14):6191–6198.Bibcode:2019JSFA...99.6191D.doi:10.1002/jsfa.9891.PMID31250441.S2CID195760607.
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