A small evergreen citrus tree with thorny branches, grown for its sour yellow fruit.
The lemon (Citrus × limon, family Rutaceae) is a spiny evergreen shrub or small tree 3 to 6 metres tall. It is a very popular fruit with a wide range of uses and has been cultivated for at least 1,000 years; it was first recorded in China around 1000 AD. Its original range and habitat are obscure: it is probably a hybrid that arose in cultivation, involving the citron (Citrus medica) and the lime (Citrus aurantifolia), possibly in Asia. Today it is widely grown for its fruit in warm temperate to tropical regions.
Citrus is grown commercially in three kinds of climate: tropical, subtropical with winter rain as around the Mediterranean, and semitropical with summer rain. The best temperatures are 25 to 30°C, with the coldest month averaging at least 15°C; growth generally stops below 13°C and above 38°C. Where dry spells last more than three months, the trees need watering. They prefer a moderately heavy, well-drained loam in a very sunny position, with a pH of 5 to 6 (tolerating 4.8 to 8.3), and they do not tolerate waterlogging.
Lemons are raised from seed sown fresh after rinsing, which usually germinates in two to three weeks. The seed is often polyembryonic: two or more seedlings come from one seed, and they are genetically identical to the parent tree. Plants also grow easily from cuttings of half-ripe wood, and can be layered.
Source: Useful Tropical Plants database (Fern, K.).
The juice and the grated peel are used to flavour food and drinks.
Grown around homes from seed or grafted plants, in well-drained soil and full sun.