Lemon
Family Rutaceae
Citrus limon, the lemon (C. limon 1), is a small tree, up to 6 m tall, with stiff thorns and simple serrate leaves with petioles without wings. The fruits are oval, 10-15 cm long, yellow when ripe and with a terminal nipple (C. limon 4). The pulp is very acid and not eaten fresh.
Distribution
The lemon is of Southeast Asian origin, and reached Europe somewhere in the 12th or 13th century. Columbus took the lemon to the West Indies. Today it is grown extensively in the Mediterranean countries (C. limon 2), California, India, Mexico and Argentina.
Use
Lemons are widely used the temperate regions in fruit drinks, sweets and confectionery. The grated peel is used in cakes. Lemon oil, extracted from the peel, is used in soaps, shampoo and perfumes. A variety with a rough and thick peel (C. limon 3) is grown in the tropics. The world production of lemons equals that of the grapefruit.