Contents

hide

(Top)

Description

Toggle Description subsection

Chemistry

Taxonomy

Toggle Taxonomy subsection

Varieties

Cultivation

Toggle Cultivation subsection

History

Propagation

Production

Uses
Toggle Uses subsection

Nutrition

Culinary

Juice

Peel

Oil

Leaves

Other uses

Industrial

Aroma

Other
 

Other citrus called "lemons"

In culture

See also

References

External links

Lemon

161 languages

 Article

 Talk

 Read

 View source

 View history

Tools


 

Appearance

hide

Text

Small

Standard

Large

Width

Standard

Wide

Color (beta)

Automatic

Light

Dark

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the fruit. For other uses, see Lemon (disambiguation).

"Lemons" redirects here. For the surname, see Lemons (surname).

Not to be confused with Iemon.

Lemon
 A fruiting lemon tree (blossom
visible)

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Plantae

Clade: Tracheophytes

Clade: Angiosperms

Clade: Eudicots

Clade: Rosids

Order: Sapindales

Family: Rutaceae

Genus: Citrus

Species: C. × limon

Binomial name

Citrus × limon

(L.) Osbeck

Synonyms[1]

show

List

The lemon (Citrus × limon) is a species of small evergreen tree in the flowering
plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar, and
China.[2]

The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the
world, primarily for its juice, which has both culinary and cleaning uses.[2] The pulp and rind are also
used in cooking and baking. The juice of the lemon is about 5–6% citric acid,[3] with a pH of around
2.2,[4] giving it a sour taste. The distinctive sour taste of lemon juice, derived from the citric acid,
makes it a key ingredient in drinks and foods[5] such as lemonade and lemon meringue pie.

Description

The lemon tree produces an ellipsoidal yellow fruit.

Lemon seedling

Full-sized tree
 

Flower

Lemon with leaves

Lemon cidra
 

Mature lemons

Variegated pink lemon

Chemistry

Lemons contain numerous phytochemicals, including polyphenols, terpenes, and tannins.[6] Lemon
juice contains slightly more citric acid than lime juice (about 47 g/L), nearly twice the citric acid
of grapefruit juice, and about five times the amount of citric acid found in orange juice.[3]

Taxonomy

See also: Citron § Origin and distribution

 Taxonomic illustration by Franz Eugen Köhler

The origin of the lemon is unknown, though lemons are thought to have first grown in northeast
India.[2] A genomic study of the lemon indicated it was a hybrid between bitter orange (sour orange)
and citron.[7][8]

The origin of the word lemon may be Middle Eastern.[2] The word draws from the Old French limon,
then Italian limone, from the Arabic laymūn or līmūn, and from the Persian līmūn, a generic term
for citrus fruit, which is a cognate of Sanskrit (nimbū, 'lime').[9]

Varieties

The 'Bonnie Brae' is oblong, smooth, thin-skinned, and seedless.[10] These are mostly grown in San
Diego County, US.[11]

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.[12] There is also
a pink-fleshed Eureka lemon with a green and yellow variegated outer skin.[13]

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.[14][15]

The 'Femminello St. Teresa', or 'Sorrento'[16] originates in Italy. This fruit's zest is high in lemon oils. It
is the variety traditionally used in the making of limoncello.

The 'Yen Ben' is an Australasian cultivar.[17]

Cultivation

History

Lemons are supposed to have entered Europe near southern Italy no later than the second century
AD, during the time of Ancient Rome.[2] They were later introduced to Persia and then
to Iraq and Egypt around 700 AD.[2] 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.
[2]
It was distributed widely throughout the Arab world and the Mediterranean region between 1000
and 1150.[2] 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.[18]

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.[2] In
the 19th century, lemons were increasingly planted in Florida and California.[2]

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.[2][19]

Propagation

Lemon (and lime) production,

2022

millions of tonnes

Country 2022

India 3.8

Mexico 3.1

China 2.6

Argentina 1.8

Brazil 1.6

Turkey 1.3

World 21.5

Source: FAOSTAT of the United

Nations.[20]

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.[21] Citrus require minimal pruning by
trimming overcrowded branches, with the tallest branch cut back to encourage bushy growth.
[21]
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.[21]

There is reputed merit in the tradition of urinating near a lemon tree.[22][23]

In cultivation in the UK, the cultivars "Meyer"[24] and "Variegata"[25] have gained the Royal
Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017).[26]

Production
In 2022, world production of lemons (combined with limes for reporting) was 22 million tonnes led
by India with 18% of the total. Mexico and China were major secondary producers (table).

Lemon, raw, without peel

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy 121 kJ (29 kcal)

Carbohydrates 9.32 g

Sugars 2.5 g

Dietary fiber 2.8 g

Fat 0.3 g

Protein 1.1 g

show

Vitamins and minerals

Link to USDA Database entry

†
Percentages estimated using US recommendations for
adults,[27] except for potassium, which is estimated based
on expert recommendation from the National
Academies.[28]

Uses

Nutrition

Lemon is a rich source of vitamin C, providing 64% of the Daily Value in a 100 g reference amount
(table). Other essential nutrients are low in content.

Culinary

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.
 

Lemon external surface and cross-section

Juice

Lemon juice is used to make lemonade, soft drinks, and cocktails. It is used in marinades for fish,
where its acid neutralizes amines in fish by converting them into nonvolatile ammonium salts. In
meat, the acid partially hydrolyzes tough collagen fibers, tenderizing it.[29] In the United Kingdom,
lemon juice is frequently added to pancakes, especially on Shrove Tuesday.

Lemon juice is also used as a short-term preservative on certain foods that tend to oxidize and turn
brown after being sliced (enzymatic browning), such as apples, bananas, and avocados, where its
acid denatures the enzymes.

Peel

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.[30] The preserved lemon is used
in a wide variety of dishes. Preserved lemons can also be found in Sicilian, Italian, Greek, and French
dishes.

The peel can be used in the manufacture of pectin, a polysaccharide used as a gelling agent and
stabilizer in food and other products.[31]

Oil

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
by centrifugation.[32]

Leaves

The leaves of the lemon tree are used to make a tea and for preparing cooked meats and seafoods.

Other uses

Industrial

Lemons were the primary commercial source of citric acid before the development of fermentation-
based processes.[33]

Aroma

Lemon oil may be used in aromatherapy. Lemon oil aroma does not influence the human immune
system,[34] but may contribute to relaxation.[35]
Other

One educational science experiment involves attaching electrodes to a lemon and using it as
a battery to produce electricity. Although very low power, several lemon batteries can power a small
digital watch.[36] These experiments also work with other fruits and vegetables.

Lemon juice may be used as a simple invisible ink, developed by heat.[37]

Lemon juice can be used to increase the blonde colour of hair, acting as a natural highlight after the
moistened hair is exposed to sunlight. This is due to the citric acid that acts as bleach.[38][39]

Other citrus called "lemons"

 Flat lemon, a mandarin hybrid.[40]

 Meyer lemon, a cross between a citron and a mandarin/pomelo hybrid distinct from sour or
sweet orange,[41] named after Frank N. Meyer, who first introduced it to the United States in
1908. Thin-skinned and slightly less acidic than the Lisbon and Eureka lemons, Meyer lemons
require more care when shipping and are not widely grown on a commercial basis. Meyer
lemons often mature to a yellow-orange color. They are slightly more frost tolerant.

 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.[41]

 Rough lemon, a citron-mandarin cross, cold-hardy and often used as a citrus rootstock[41]

 Sweet lemons or sweet limes, a mixed group including the lumia (pear lemon), limetta,
and Palestinian sweet lime. Among them is the Jaffa lemon, a pomelo-citron hybrid.[41]

 Volkamer lemon, like the rough lemon, a citron-mandarin cross[41]

Painting by Jacob Foppens van Es

In culture

This section needs

expansion. You can help
by adding to it. (December
2023)

In India, a lemon may be ritually encircled around a person due to the belief that it would repel
negative energies or ward off the evil eye, called nazar or drishti.[42] It is also a common practice for
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.[43]

Hindu deities are sometimes depicted with lemons in their iconography, representing the attribute of
wealth or abundance.[44]

See also
  Food portal

 List of lemon dishes and drinks

References

1. ^ "Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck". World Flora Online. The World Flora Online Consortium.
2022. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2022.

2. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k Julia F. Morton (1987). "Lemon in Fruits of Warm

Climates". Purdue University. pp. 160–168. Archived from the original on November
26, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2007.

3. ^ Jump up to:a b Penniston KL, Nakada SY, Holmes RP, Assimos DG

(2008). "Quantitative Assessment of Citric Acid in Lemon Juice, Lime Juice, and
Commercially-Available Fruit Juice Products". Journal of Endourology. 22 (3): 567–
570. doi:10.1089/end.2007.0304. PMC 2637791. PMID 18290732.

4. ^ James N. Spencer; George M. Bodner; Lyman H. Rickard (2010). Chemistry:

Structure and Dynamics. John Wiley & Sons.
p. 481. ISBN 9780470920930. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023.
Retrieved August 22, 2023.

5. ^ Comprehensive Natural Products II: Chemistry and Biology. Elsevier.

2010. ISBN 9780080453828. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023.
Retrieved August 22, 2023.

6. ^ Rauf A, Uddin G, Ali J (2014). "Phytochemical analysis and radical scavenging

profile of juices of Citrus sinensis, Citrus aurantifolia, and Citrus limonum". Org Med
Chem Lett. 4: 5. doi:10.1186/2191-2858-4-5. ISSN 2191-
2858. PMC 4091952. PMID 25024932.

7. ^ Gulsen, O.; M. L. Roose (2001). "Lemons: Diversity and Relationships with

Selected Citrus Genotypes as Measured with Nuclear Genome Markers". Journal of
the American Society for Horticultural Science. 126 (3): 309–
317. doi:10.21273/JASHS.126.3.309.

8. ^ Genetic origin of cultivated citrus determined: Researchers find evidence of origins

of orange, lime, lemon, grapefruit, other citrus species" Archived September 21,
2017, at the Wayback Machine, Science Daily, January 26, 2011 (Retrieved February
10, 2017).

9. ^ Douglas Harper. "Online Etymology Dictionary". Archived from the original on

August 6, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2012.

10. ^ Spalding, William A. (1885). The orange: its culture in California. Riverside,
California: Press and Horticulturist Steam Print. p. 88. Retrieved March
2, 2012. Bonnie Brae lemon.

11. ^ Carque, Otto (2006) [1923]. Rational Diet: An Advanced Treatise on the Food
Question. Los Angeles, California: Kessinger Publishing. p. 195. ISBN 978-1-4286-
4244-7. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
12. ^ Buchan, Ursula (January 22, 2005). "Kitchen garden: lemon tree". The Daily
Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved January
24, 2014.

13. ^ Vaiegated pink Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine at the Citrus
Variety Collection.

14. ^ "frostlisbon". citrusvariety.ucr.edu. Archived from the original on November 6,

2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.

15. ^ says, 3 Easy Tips: How to Plant Lemon Seeds at Home Indoors or Outdoors
(February 1, 2007). "Eureka Lemon and Lisbon Lemon: Kitchen Basics". Harvest to
Table. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved September
27, 2020.

16. ^ "Taste of a thousand lemons". Los Angeles Times. September 8,

2004. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013. Retrieved November
21, 2011.

17. ^ "New Zealand Citrus". ceventura.ucdavis.edu. Archived from the original on June
10, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2010.

18. ^ Ibn al-'Awwam, Yaḥyá (1864). Le livre de l'agriculture d'Ibn-al-Awam (kitab-al-

felahah) (in French). Translated by J.-J. Clement-Mullet. Paris: A. Franck. pp. 300–301
(ch. 7 - Article 32). OCLC 780050566. (pp. 300–301 (Article XXXII)

19. ^ James Lind (1757). A treatise on the scurvy. Second edition. London: A. Millar.

20. ^ "World production of lemons and limes in 2022; Crops/Regions/World/Production

Quantity/Year from pick lists". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations, Statistics Division (FAOSTAT). 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.

21. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Citrus". Royal Horticultural Society. 2017. Archived from the
original on April 20, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.

22. ^ Capomolla, Fabian; Pember, Matthew (2011). "Lemon". The Little Veggie Patch Co.
Sydney, New South Wales: Plum. p. 129. ISBN 9781742628417. Archived from the
original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2020. Urinating around a lemon tree
provides a tonic of water, salt and minerals, much like that of an organic fertiliser
[...].

23. ^ Capomolla, Fabian (2017). Growing Food the Italian Way. The Hungry Gardener.
Plum. p. 168. ISBN 9781760554903. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024.
Retrieved April 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.

24. ^ "RHS Plantfinder - Citrus × limon 'Meyer'". Archived from the original on January 4,
2020. Retrieved January 30, 2018.

25. ^ "RHS Plantfinder - Citrus × limon 'Variegata'". Archived from the original on
December 30, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
26. ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017.
p. 20. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 5, 2018. Retrieved January
24, 2018.

27. ^ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition
and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024.
Retrieved March 28, 2024.

28. ^ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine
Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference
Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings,
Virginia A. (eds.). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National
Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington,
DC: National Academies Press (US). ISBN 978-0-309-48834-
1. PMID 30844154. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved June
21, 2024.

29. ^ "Fruit enzymes tenderise meat". Science Learning Hub. Archived from the original
on May 23, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.

30. ^ Moskin, Julia. "Preserved Lemons Recipe". NYT Cooking. Archived from the
original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.

31. ^ 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. ISSN 1097-0010. PMID
31250441. S2CID 195760607.

32. ^ Tranchida, Peter Quinto (2010), "Advanced Analytical Techniques for the Analysis of
Citrus Oils", Citrus Oils, CRC Press, pp. 482–516, doi:10.1201/b10314-16, ISBN 978-
1-4398-0029-4

33. ^ M. Hofrichter (2010). Industrial Applications. Springer. p. 224. ISBN 978-3-642-

11458-8.

34. ^ Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K.; Graham, J. E.; Malarkey, W. B.; Porter, K; Lemeshow, S; Glaser,
R (2008). "Olfactory influences on mood and autonomic, endocrine, and immune
function". Psychoneuroendocrinology. 33 (3): 328–
39. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2007.11.015. PMC 2278291. PMID 18178322.

35. ^ Cooke, B; Ernst, E (2000). "Aromatherapy: A systematic review". British Journal of

General Practice. 50 (455): 493–6. PMC 1313734. PMID 10962794.

36. ^ "Lemon Power". California Energy Commission. Archived from the original on May
19, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2014.

37. ^ Mirsky, Steve (April 20, 2010). "Invisible Ink and More: The Science of Spying in the
Revolutionary War". Scientific American. Archived from the original on October 21,
2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
 38. ^ "Here's how to lighten your hair at home with lemon juice (it actually
works)". Glamour UK. Bianca London. 2020. Archived from the original on
September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.

39. ^ "Does lemon juice really lighten hair?". Klorane Laboratories. 2020. Archived from
the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2020.

40. ^ Yamamoto, Masashi; Takakura, Akiko; Tanabe, Aika; Teramoto, Sayuri; Kita,
Masayuki (2017). "Diversity of Citrus depressa Hayata (Shiikuwasha) revealed by
DNA analysis". Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 64 (4): 805–
814. doi:10.1007/s10722-016-0403-2. S2CID 35979614.

41. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Curk, Franck; Ollitrault, Frédérique; Garcia-Lor, Andres; Luro,
François; Navarro, Luis; Ollitrault, Patrick (2016). "Phylogenetic origin of limes and
lemons revealed by cytoplasmic and nuclear markers". Annals of Botany. 11 (4):
565–583. doi:10.1093/aob/mcw005. PMC 4817432. PMID 26944784.

42. ^ Amariglio, Jack; Cullenberg, Stephen E; Ruccio, David F (2013). Post-Modernism,

Economics and Knowledge. Routledge. pp. 217–. ISBN 978-1-134-83668-0.

43. ^ Leslie, Julia (1992). Roles and Rituals for Hindu Women. Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
p. 116. ISBN 978-81-208-1036-5.

44. ^ Pal, Pratapaditya; Canada, National Gallery of; Arts (Firm), Bayeux (1997). Divine
Images, Human Visions: The Max Tanenbaum Collection of South Asian and
Himalayan Art in the National Gallery of Canada. National Gallery of Canada.
p. 41. ISBN 978-1-896209-05-0.

External links

Look up lemon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

 Media related to Citrus × limon at Wikimedia Commons

 Data related to Citrus × limon at Wikispecies

 "Lemon" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 413–415. (with
illustrations)
 shes

entifiers

mon  Wikidata: Q500

 Wikispecies: Citrus × limon

 APDB: 90372

 APNI: 116458

 Ecocrop: 714

 EoL: 582200

 EPPO: CIDLI

 EUNIS: 181682

 FNA: 250084128

 FoAO2: Citrus x limon

 FoC: 250084128

 GBIF: 9198046

 GRIN: 10732

 iNaturalist: 331124

 IPA: 12180

 IPNI: 60454758-2

 IRMNG: 10200757

 ITIS: 28885

 MoBotPF: 286755

 NatureServe: 2.136477

 NBN: NHMSYS0000457360

 NCBI: 2708

 NZOR: 4d1191f6-7fb3-49d6-9653-36bb357755a7

 NZPCN: 4419

 Observation.org: 132033
  Open Tree of Life: 3942422

 PFI: 9509

 Plant List: tro-28101295

 PLANTS: CILI5

 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60454758-2

 Tropicos: 28101732

 uBio: 4958994

 Wikidata: Q50892829

 APDB: 180941

 APNI: 216074

 GBIF: 6711595

 GRIN: 10749
ar. limon
 IPNI: 60457216-2

 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60457216-2

 Tropicos: 28100580

 WFO: wfo-0000608149

 France

 BnF data
y control databases: National
 Germany

 Japan

Categories:

 Lemons

 Citrus hybrids

 Cocktail garnishes

 Fruit trees

 Sour fruits

 Tropical agriculture

 This page was last edited on 5 August 2024, at 21:20 (UTC).

 Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional
terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
 Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit
organization.

 Privacy policy

 About Wikipedia

 Disclaimers

 Contact Wikipedia

 Code of Conduct

 Developers

 Statistics

 Cookie statement

 Mobile view