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This article is about the fruit. For other uses, see Lemon (disambiguation) The lemon (Citrus × limon) is a hybrid citrus tree of cultivated origin. The fruit are used primarily for their juice, though the pulp and rind (zest) are also used, primarily in cooking or mixing. Lemon juice is about 5% citric acid, which gives lemons a sour taste and a pH of 2 to 3. This acidity makes lemon juice a cheap, readily available acid for use in educational chemistry experiments.
Description A lemon tree can grow up to 6 m (20 ft), but they are usually smaller. The branches are thorny, and form an open crown. The leaves are green, shiny and elliptical-acuminate. Flowers are white on the outside with a violet streaked interior. On a lemon tree, flowers and ripe fruits can be found at the same time. Lemon fruit are ovoid with a pointed tip at the end. When ripe they have a bright yellow skin with a paler yellow segmented interior. There are several varieties of lemon including Eureka, Lisbon and the Meyer lemon, which is thought to be a hybrid. Cultivation Lemons grow in tropical and sub-tropical climates and cannot withstand frosts and very cold temperatures. Their favoured temperature is between 15–30 °C (60–85 °F) and they need ample quantities of sunlight. They thrive in fertile, well drained soils. Lemons need plenty of water but should be allowed to dry out between waterings. Propagation is often by grafting as the stock is vulnerable to cankers and dry rot. Lemons are grown commercially in Spain, Portugal and other Mediterranean countries, Argentina, Brazil and the United States. They can be grown as plants in the garden as well as in containers if they are pruned to keep a small form. History The lemon is a cultivated hybrid deriving from wild species such as the citron and mandarin. When and where this first occurred is not known. The citron, apparently the fruit described in Pliny's Natural History (XII, vii.15) as the malum medicum — the "medicinal fruit" — seems to have been the first citrus fruit known in the Mediterranean world. Depictions of citrus trees appear in Roman mosaics of North Africa, but the first unequivocal description of the lemon, is found in the early tenth-century Arabic treatise on farming by Qustus al-Rumi. At the end of the twelfth century, Ibn Jami’, personal physician to the great Muslim leader Saladin, wrote a treatise on the lemon, after which it is mentioned with greater frequency in the Mediterranean. However, it is believed that the first lemons were originally cultivated in the hot, semi-arid Deccan Plateau in Central India. The origin of the name "lemon" is through Persian (لیمو Limu), akin to the Sanskrit nimbuka. They were cultivated in Genoa in the mid-fifteenth century, and appeared in the Azores in 1494. More recent research has identified lemons in the ruins of Pompeii. Lemons were once used by the British Royal navy to combat scurvy, as they provided a large amount of vitamin C. In food preparation
Lemon battery Main article: Lemon battery A common school experiment involving lemons is to attach electrodes and use them as a battery to power a light. The electricity generated may also be used to power a motor to move the lemons (on wheels) like a car or truck. These experiments also work with other fruit and with potatoes. Lemon myrtle In recent times, the Australian bush food Lemon myrtle has become a popular alternative to lemons. The crushed and dried leaves and edible essential oils have a strong, sweet lemon taste, but contain no citric acid. Lemon myrtle is popular in foods that curdle with lemon juice, such as cheesecakes and ice-cream. Gallery Image:Lemon 8FruitAndFlower wb.jpg|Lemon fruit and flower Image:Lemon closeup.jpg|Lemon Closeup Image:Lemon02.jpg|Lemons Image:Pair of lemons.jpg|Pair of lemons Image:Lemon tree02.jpg|Lemon tree Image:Lemon tree Berkeley closeup.jpg|Lemons on a tree Image:Lemon tree flowers with ant.jpg|Lemon tree flowers Image:MeyerLemon.jpg|Unripe Meyer lemon See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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