Lemon

The lemon (Citrus limon) is a species of small evergreen trees in

the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Lemon
Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or 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% to 6% citric acid, with a pH of around 2.2, giving it a
sour taste. The distinctive sour taste of lemon juice makes it a
key ingredient in drinks and foods such as lemonade and lemon
meringue pie. A fruiting lemon tree. A blossom is
also visible.
History Scientific classification

The origin of the lemon is unknown, though lemons are thought Kingdom: Plantae
to have first grown in Assam (a region in northeast India), Clade: Tracheophytes
northern Myanmar or China.[2] A genomic study of the lemon
indicated it was a hybrid between bitter orange (sour orange) and Clade: Angiosperms
citron.[3][4] Clade: Eudicots

Lemons are supposed to have entered Europe near southern Italy Clade: Rosids
no later than the second century AD, during the time of Ancient Order: Sapindales
Rome.[2] They were later introduced to Persia and then to Iraq
and Egypt around 700 AD.[2] The lemon was first recorded in Family: Rutaceae
literature in a 10th-century Arabic treatise on farming, and was Genus: Citrus
also used as an ornamental plant in early Islamic gardens.[2] It
Species: C. limon
was distributed widely throughout the Arab world and the
Mediterranean region between 1000 and 1150.[2] An article on Binomial name
Lemon and lime tree cultivation in Andalusia of Spain is brought
Citrus limon
down in Ibn al-'Awwam's 12th-century agricultural work, Book
on Agriculture.[5] (L.)
Osbeck
The first substantial cultivation of lemons in Europe began in Modernism
Genoa in the middle of the 15th century. The lemon was later
introduced to the Americas in 1493 when Christopher Columbus Synonyms[1]
brought lemon seeds to Hispaniola on his voyages. Spanish
List
conquest throughout the New World helped spread lemon seeds.
It was mainly used as an ornamental plant and for medicine.[2] In Citrus × aurantium subsp.
the 19th century, lemons were increasingly planted in Florida bergamia (Risso & Poit.) Engl.
and California.[2]
Citrus aurantium subsp.
bergamia (Risso) Wight & Arn.
In 1747, James Lind's experiments on seamen suffering from Citrus aurantium var.
scurvy involved adding lemon juice to their diets, though vitamin
bergamia (Risso) Brandis
C was not yet known as an important dietary ingredient.[2][6]
Citrus × aurantium var.
The origin of the word lemon may be Middle Eastern.[2]
The mellarosa (Risso) Engl.
word draws from the Old French limon, then Italian limone,
from the Arabic laymūn or līmūn, and from the Persian līmūn, a Citrus × bergamia Risso & Poit.
generic term for citrus fruit, which is a cognate of Sanskrit Citrus × bergamia subsp.
(nimbū, 'lime').[7]
mellarosa (Risso) D.Rivera & al.
Citrus × bergamota Raf.
Varieties
Citrus × limodulcis D.Rivera,
The 'Bonnie Brae' is oblong, smooth, thin-skinned and Obón & F.Méndez
seedless.[8] These are mostly grown in San Diego County,
Citrus × limonelloides Hayata
USA.[9]
Citrus × limonia Osbeck
The 'Eureka' grows year-round and abundantly. This is the
common supermarket lemon, also known as 'Four Seasons' Citrus × limonia var. digitata
(Quatre Saisons) because of its ability to produce fruit and Risso
flowers together throughout the year. This variety is also
Citrus × limonum Risso
available as a plant to domestic customers.[10] There is also a
pink-fleshed Eureka lemon, with a green and yellow variegated Citrus medica var. limon L.
outer skin.[11] Citrus medica f. limon (L.)
The Lisbon lemon is very similar to the Eureka and is the other M.Hiroe
common supermarket lemon. It is smoother than the Eureka, has Citrus medica f. limon (L.)
thinner skin, and has fewer or no seeds. It generally produces
Hiroë
more juice than the Eureka.[12][13]
Citrus medica subsp. limonia
The 'Femminello St. Teresa', or 'Sorrento'[14] originates in Italy. (Risso) Hook. f.
This fruit's zest is high in lemon oils. It is the variety traditionally
used in the making of limoncello. Citrus × medica var. limonum
(Risso) Brandis
The 'Yen Ben' is an Australasian cultivar.[15]
Citrus × medica subsp.
limonum (Risso) Engl.
Nutrition and phytochemicals
Citrus medica var. limonum
Lemon is a rich source of vitamin C, providing 64% of the Daily (Risso) Brandis
Value in a 100 g reference amount (table). Other essential
nutrients are low in content. Citrus × mellarosa Risso
Citrus × meyeri Yu.Tanaka
Lemons contain numerous phytochemicals, including
polyphenols, terpenes, and tannins.[16] Lemon juice contains Citrus × vulgaris Ferrarius ex
slightly more citric acid than lime juice (about 47  g/L), nearly Mill.
twice the citric acid of grapefruit juice, and about five times the
Limon × vulgaris Ferrarius ex
amount of citric acid found in orange juice.[17]
Miller

Culinary uses
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.

Juice
Lemon external surface and cross-
section
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.[18] 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.[19] The preserved
lemon is used in a wide variety of dishes. Preserved lemons
can also be found in Sicilian, Italian, Greek, and French Detailed taxonomic illustration by Franz
dishes. Eugen Köhler.

The peel can be used in the

manufacture of pectin, a Lemon, raw, without peel
polysaccharide used as a gelling
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
agent and stabilizer in food and
other products.[20] Energy 121 kJ (29 kcal)
Carbohydrates 9.32 g
Sugars 2.5 g
Oil
Dietary fiber 2.8 g
Lemon oil is extracted from oil- Fat 0.3 g
containing cells in the skin. A Protein 1.1 g
machine breaks up the cells, and
uses a water spray to flush off the
Vitamins Quantity %DV†
oil. The oil/water mixture is then Thiamine (B1) 0.04 mg 3%
filtered and separated by Riboflavin (B2) 0.02 mg 2%
centrifugation. [21] Niacin (B3) 0.1 mg 1%
Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.19 mg 4%
Vitamin B6 0.08 mg 6%
Leaves Folate (B9) 11 μg 3%
Choline 5.1 mg 1%
The leaves of the lemon tree are Vitamin C 53 mg 64%
used to make a tea and for Minerals Quantity %DV†
preparing cooked meats and
Calcium 26 mg 3%
seafoods.
Iron 0.6 mg 5%
Magnesium 8 mg 2%
Other uses Manganese 0.03 mg 1%
Phosphorus 16 mg 2%
Potassium 138 mg 3%
Industrial Zinc 0.06 mg 1%

Lemons were the primary

Link to USDA Database entry (https://web.archive.org/web/2016012
commercial source of citric acid 6221315/http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list?qlookup=09150&f
before the development of ormat=Full)
fermentation-based processes.[22]
Units
μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams
Aroma IU = International units
†
Lemon oil may be used in Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations
aromatherapy. Lemon oil aroma for adults.
does not influence the human Source: USDA FoodData Central (https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/index.html)
immune system,[23] but may
contribute to relaxation.[24]

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.[25]
These experiments also work with other fruits and vegetables.

Lemon juice may be used as a simple invisible ink, developed by heat.[26]

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.[27][28]

Horticulture
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.[29] Citrus require minimal pruning by trimming
overcrowded branches, with the tallest branch cut back to encourage bushy growth.[29] 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.[29]

The tradition of urinating near a lemon tree[30][31][32] may be beneficial as urine is a fertilizer.
In cultivation in the UK, the cultivars "Meyer"[33] and "Variegata"[34] have gained the Royal Horticultural
Society's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017).[35]

Production
In 2020, world production of lemons (combined with Lemon (and lime) production, 2020
limes for reporting) was 21.4 million tonnes.[36] The top
producers – India, Mexico, China, Argentina, Brazil, and (in millions of tonnes)
Turkey – collectively accounted for 65% of global
production (table).[36] Country 2020

 India 3.7
Other citrus called "lemons"  Mexico 2.9
Flat lemon, a mandarin hybrid.  China 2.7
Meyer lemon, a cross between a citron and a  Argentina 1.8
mandarin/pomelo hybrid distinct from sour or
sweet orange,[37] named after Frank N. Meyer,  Brazil 1.6
who first introduced it to the United States in
 Turkey 1.2
1908. Thin-skinned and slightly less acidic than
the Lisbon and Eureka lemons, Meyer lemons World 21.4
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.[37]
Rough lemon, a citron-mandarin cross, cold-hardy and often used as a citrus rootstock[37]
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.[37]
 Volkamer lemon, like the rough lemon, a citron-mandarin cross[37]

Gallery

Jacob Foppen van Es: Still life with

Flower Lemon seedling pitcher

Mature lemons Full-sized tree

Variegated pink lemon Lemon with leaves

See also
List of lemon dishes and drinks
 Food portal

References
1. "Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck" (http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0001133139). World
Flora Online. The World Flora Online Consortium. 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
2. Julia F. Morton (1987). "Lemon in Fruits of Warm Climates" (http://www.hort.purdue.edu/new
crop/morton/lemon.html#Description). Purdue University. pp. 160–168.
 3. Gulsen, O.; M. L. Roose (2001). "Lemons: Diversity and Relationships with Selected Citrus
Genotypes as Measured with Nuclear Genome Markers" (https://doi.org/10.21273%2FJASH
S.126.3.309). Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. 126 (3): 309–317.
doi:10.21273/JASHS.126.3.309 (https://doi.org/10.21273%2FJASHS.126.3.309).
4. Genetic origin of cultivated citrus determined: Researchers find evidence of origins of
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5. Ibn al-'Awwam, Yaḥyá (1864). Le livre de l'agriculture d'Ibn-al-Awam (kitab-al-felahah) (http
s://archive.org/details/lelivredelagric00algoog/page/n14/mode/2up) (in French). Translated
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(https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/780050566). (pp. 300 (https://archive.org/details/lelivredelagri
c00algoog/page/n408/mode/2up)–301 (Article XXXII)
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7. Douglas Harper. "Online Etymology Dictionary" (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term
=lemon).
8. Spalding, William A. (1885). The orange: its culture in California (https://archive.org/details/o
rangeitsculture00spalrich). Riverside, California: Press and Horticulturist Steam Print. p. 88
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uk/gardening/3325753/Kitchen-garden-lemon-tree.html). The Daily Telegraph. London.
Retrieved January 24, 2014.
11. Vaiegated pink (http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/variegatedpink.html) Archived (https://
web.archive.org/web/20171201043411/http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/variegatedpin
k.html) December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine at the Citrus Variety Collection.
12. "frostlisbon" (https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/frostlisbon.html). citrusvariety.ucr.edu.
Retrieved September 27, 2020.
13. says, 3 Easy Tips: How to Plant Lemon Seeds at Home Indoors or Outdoors (February 1,
2007). "Eureka Lemon and Lisbon Lemon: Kitchen Basics" (https://harvesttotable.com/eurek
a_lemon_and_lisbon_lemon/). Harvest to Table. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
14. "Taste of a thousand lemons" (http://www.latimes.com/features/la-fo-limoncello8sep08,0,771
590.story). Los Angeles Times. September 8, 2004. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
15. "New Zealand Citrus" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100610054722/http://ceventura.ucdavi
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(http://ceventura.ucdavis.edu/ben/citrus/misc/new_zealand.htm) on June 10, 2010.
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16. Rauf A, Uddin G, Ali J (2014). "Phytochemical analysis and radical scavenging profile of
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doi.org/10.1186%2F2191-2858-4-5). PMC 4091952 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl
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17. 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" (ht
tps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2637791). Journal of Endourology. 22 (3): 567–
570. doi:10.1089/end.2007.0304 (https://doi.org/10.1089%2Fend.2007.0304).
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(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18290732).
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es-tenderise-meat). Science Learning Hub. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
19. Moskin, Julia. "Preserved Lemons Recipe" (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016212-pr
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2019). "Pectin recovery and characterization from lemon juice waste streams". Journal of the
Science of Food and Agriculture. 99 (14): 6191–6198. doi:10.1002/jsfa.9891 (https://doi.org/
10.1002%2Fjsfa.9891). ISSN 1097-0010 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1097-0010).
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1%2Fb10314-16), ISBN 978-1-4398-0029-4
22. M. Hofrichter (2010). Industrial Applications (https://books.google.com/books?id=80XBNrGsI
ywC&pg=PA224). Springer. p. 224. ISBN 978-3-642-11458-8.
23. 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" (http
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v/pmc/articles/PMC1313734). British Journal of General Practice. 50 (455): 493–6.
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(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10962794).
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ov/projects/lemon.html). California Energy Commission. Archived from the original (http://ww
w.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/lemon.html) on May 19, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
26. Mirsky, Steve (April 20, 2010). "Invisible Ink and More: The Science of Spying in the
Revolutionary War" (https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/invisible-ink-and-o
ther-science-of-10-04-20/). Scientific American. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
27. "Here's how to lighten your hair at home with lemon juice (it actually works)" (https://www.gla
mourmagazine.co.uk/article/lemon-juice-in-hair). Glamour UK. Bianca London. 2020.
Retrieved September 16, 2020.
28. "Does lemon juice really lighten hair?" (https://www.klorane.com/uk-en/feelgoodactgood/doe
s-lemon-juice-really-lighten-hair). Klorane Laboratories. 2020. Retrieved September 18,
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29. "Citrus" (https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/fruit/citrus). Royal Horticultural
Society. 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
30. Capomolla, Fabian; Pember, Matthew (2011). "Lemon". The Little Veggie Patch Co (https://b
ooks.google.com/books?id=1w2jBgAAQBAJ). Sydney, New South Wales: Plum. p. 129.
ISBN 9781742628417. Retrieved April 27, 2020. "Urinating around a lemon tree provides a
tonic of water, salt and minerals, much like that of an organic fertiliser [...]."
31. Capomolla, Fabian (2017). Growing Food the Italian Way (https://books.google.com/books?i
d=J5MtDwAAQBAJ). The Hungry Gardener. Plum. p. 168. ISBN 9781760554903. 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."
32. The World's Fastest Indian - "Munro was never known to actually urinate on his lemon tree;
film director Roger Donaldson added that detail as a tribute to his own father, who did."
33. "RHS Plantfinder - Citrus × limon 'Meyer' " (https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/29386/i-Citrus-i-×-i-
limon-i-Meyer-(F)/Details). Retrieved January 30, 2018.
34. "RHS Plantfinder - Citrus × limon 'Variegata' " (https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/90013/i-Citrus-i-
×-i-limon-i-Variegata-(F-v)/Details). Retrieved January 30, 2018.
35. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.p
df) (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 20. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
36. "World production of lemons and limes in 2018; Crops/Regions/World/Production Quantity
from pick lists" (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC). Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations, Statistics Division (FAOSTAT). 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
37. 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" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4817432). Annals of
Botany. 11 (4): 565–583. doi:10.1093/aob/mcw005 (https://doi.org/10.1093%2Faob%2Fmcw
005). PMC 4817432 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4817432).
PMID 26944784 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26944784).

External links
Data related to Citrus × limon at Wikispecies
"Lemon"  (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Lemon).
Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 413–415. (with illustrations)

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