Lemon
Lemon is a subtropical evergreen tree that can grow 3-6 meters high. It supposedly originates in southern China and this assumption is based on the fact that many lemon-like trees and shrubs growing wildly and naturally were found there as well. Nowadays it is widely grown in almost every subtropical region with favorable climate and its long cultivation gave rise to many interesting cultivars.
Lemon trees have spherical or oval crown, with erratically growing, thick and very thorny branches. Not all varieties are thorny though. Its leaves are usually bright green, oval or elliptic, but definitely large with a narrow petiole separated from the leaf with a joint. The blossoms grow from the back of the leaf, depending on the variety either individually or in clusters. The average size of opened flower is from 3 to 5 cm, whereas the color is on outer side pink and white on the inner part. Lemon trees usually flower many times during the year, they don't flower seasonally.
The lemon fruit is very similar to other citrus fruits, usually 7-12 cm long and are deeply yellow, sometimes also with a slightly green touch. It is usually used fresh, for preparation of refreshing drinks, ice cream, lemon concentrates or famous liquor Limoncella. Lemons are also excellent source of vitamin C, which is mostly present in the thin rind and least present in the pulp. Their acidic flavor is caused by the citric acid and a little bit of apple acids with 52-60mg of vitamin C in 100g of pulp and arout 140mg in 100g of pulp. That's the reason why it is often advised to eat lemons along with their rind.
Typical sour lemons:
Adamo Citrus limon (L.) Burn. f. citroník
Femminello Adamo
It's an Italian sport originating in the region of Mascala, Giarre. The tree is semi-vigorous with its crown growing higher rather than wider and branches without any bigger thorns. Young shoots are green with a purple touch. Its flowers are white to purple.
This variety is fairly resistant to mal-secco with a very balanced and reliable productivity. It was also improved with micro-inoculation.
The fruit is elliptic, quite average (120-130g) with a slightly punched out peduncle. The rind is neither thin, nor thick and is deeply yellow. Its pulp is very acidic (over 6% of acids) and has excellent quality. The fruits are completely seedless and ripen continuously from November to January.
Arancino Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. Citroník
Arancio, Bignetta, Coccuzzaro, Cocuzzero, Cucuzzaro, Cucuzzaru, Foglio d'Arancia, Imballuggiato, Impallugiatu, Pappalardaru, Tunnu
This variety originates in Italy; the tree is very vigorous, compact and has small leaves and spikes. Young shoots are purple. Very special fruit of this variety is almost spherical and has short, yet obvious nipple and quite thick rind. It is full of seeds. After the first time this tree fruits after using the "Verdelli technique" (forcing the tree to fruit by exposing it to dry and harsh conditions), it brings plentiful harvests in the next year, when the fruit in the second year grows in clusters.
Cerza Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.Citroník
Femminello Cerza
It originates in the region of Cerza, San Gregorio in Italian Catania. This lemon tree is semi-vigorous with a not too dense crown growing mostly vertically, rather than horizontally. Its branches are thornless and young shoots are green with significant purple touch. The flowers are white with a little of purple and the most typical identification characteristic of this tree are their leaves, which are dark green, with a narrow petiole that can easily be damaged by the wind. Despite these few details, 'Cerza' is extremely productive. It was also micro-inoculated for better growth.
The fruit is egg-shaped, average (120-130g) with a slightly punched out petiole joint and not very obvious nipple shape. Its rind is yellow, grainy and average thick. Pulp is bright yellow, quite juicy and very acidic (over 6% of acids). It is also completely seedless.
In general, this fruit starts ripening late in November. Some sources also claim that it is possible to cross this variety with citron.
Everbearing Citrus linon(L.) Burm. f. Citroník
Highly remonant variety, as the name suggests. The fruit is average, oval with a thick and pebbled rind. Its pulp is slightly grainy, quite green with lots of colorless juice. The flavor is very acidic and has lovely aroma. There are a total of approximately 10 seeds in the ripe and edible fruit. This variety could have been bred as a cross of another cultivar with citron.
Izrael Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. Citroník
The cultivars origin was not verified.
Lunario Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. Citroník
Amalfi, Cuatro Estaciones, de Palerme, de Sicile, des quatre saisons, Four Seasons, Karès touil, Lunari, Lunario Ambrojo, Palerme, Palmarito, Parmelitano, Quatre Saisons, Shahri, Siciliano, Todo del año, Touil
Sicilian variety known in the area of Amalfi already in the 19th century. It got it's name because of Luna (luna = moon), it bloomed again and again each month. From Vincenzo Riccatona's monographs (gardener in Palermo Botanical Garden) in 1899: "This new variety deserves to be grown by every citrus grower, not only for its high yields, but also for it's very good blooming that occurs all year long." That's also why it was given such a name: Citrus Limonum semperflorens - Lumiuni lunariu."
It is also grown in other places around the Mediterranean Sea. In the Czech republic it is known also as "Kvaterson", because in Italian it was also called as "the lemon of four seasons" (in every season of the year there is fruit on this tree). It also likes short dry seasons and therefore is suitable for using "Verdelli technique". Then it however produces smaller fruit.
This lemon tree is quite tall and vigorous; it has broad, oval, dark green leaves with a distinctive tip. There are lots of spikes on its branches as well. Flowers are purple and grow either individually or in clusters. Lunario's fruit is average in size (6-7cm), elliptic and almost egg-shaped, usually with a distinctive joint to the branch. The rind is smooth and very thin, when fully ripe, it's yellow and the pulp is green to yellow, neither very juicy nor acidic. It is also very aromatic and divided into 10-11 segments with little or no seeds.
Compared to other cultivars from Italy, it reaches full productivity only in maturity. 'Lunario' is idle for growing indoors and even better in the greenhouses. Sometimes it is also referred to as a clone of 'Amalphitanum'. Some 'Lunario' clones are thornless and some are variegated.
Ovale di Sorrento Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. Citroník
di Massalubrense, di Sorrento, Massalubrense, Sorrento
This is a variety of unknown origin that was obtained in Italy. It is a vigorous tree with large crown and almost no spikes on the branches. New shoots are green; flowers are white and 'Ovale di Sorrento' is very susceptible to mal-secco. Its main advantage is in high resistance to wind. The fruit is large (130-160g) and egg-shaped with distinctive nipples. The pulp itself is yellow, grainy and not very soft, yet it is quite juicy and extremely acidic (over 6% of acids). Furthermore it is divided into 9 segments with very soft membranes and little or no seeds. It ripens in October.
Procino Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. Citroník
This is probably very old Italian variety.
Salicifolia Citrus limon (L.) Burm.f. Citroník
Foglia di salice
This variety isn't vigorous at all, but has very high yields and tendency to lean towards the ground. Its leaves are typically narrow, quite long and dark green leaves which resemble those of willow. Its purple blossoms grow either individually or in clusters. 'Salicifolia' has rather small fruit with a neck at the base, very similar to 'Lunario'. The rind is thick and pulp is very juicy.
Santa Catarina Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. Citroník
'Santa Catarina' originates in Italy.
Siracusano Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. Citroník
di Siracusa, Femminello masculuni, Femminello Siracusano, Femminello Siracusano 2K, Femminello Siracusano 2kr, Femminello,Siracusano m 256, Femminello Siracusano White Flower, Masculuni, Syracusano
'Siracusano 2KR' originates in Italy, where it probably occurred as a bud sport of the variety 'Femminello' in area south of Syracuse.
The tree is quite vigorous with a dense crown growing primarily vertically and its branches are completely thornless. Young shoots have a hint of purple and the blossoms are white with little purple as well.
'Siracusano 2KR' is a very productive variety, but quite sensitive to mal-secco and wind/hail damage. The fruit is elliptic, medium-sized (130-160g) with a round base and slightly punched out tip. Rind is yellow, slightly grainy and not too thick. Its extremely acidic pulp (more than 6% of acids) is lemon yellow and very juicy, usually divided into 10 segments with thicker membranes and lots of seeds.
The fruit usually ripens in October. Clone 'Femminello Siracusano m 256' was improved with microinoculation and clone 'Femminello Siracusano 2kr' was bred, when the original plant was exposed to gamma rays of Cobalt 60. This new clone was much more vigorous and had thorns. Both these varieties are sometimes listed as different cultivars, not clones.
Amalphitanum Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. Citroník
Amalfitana, Amalfitano, Sfusato Amalfitano, Sfuso Amalfitano, Sufsato Amalfitano
'Sfuzato Amalfitano' is an old variety grown in Italy for centuries. Its name comes from the elongated shape of the fruit and its wide distribution all over the Amalfitan coast.
The tree is semi-vigorous with a dense and spherical crown, the branches have only few thorns, but the plant has only very few flowers in the growing season. Its leaves are light green, elongated near the tip and slightly rounded. The blossoms have a hint of purple with white as a main color and grow mainly in clusters. There are also some flowers developing close to the leaf axils, but they grow individually.
This variety seems to be susceptible to many pests, mainly spider mites and has a weak resistance to mal-seccoo.
Fruit is elongated, egg-shaped, larger than average lemons (130-160g) and has quite thin rind that is green before ripening and yellow when ripe. Its rind is grainy and quite thick, well attached to the acidic pulp (over 6% of acids), which is lemon yellow and just enough juicy, usually divided into 10 segments with thin membranes and little or no seeds.
'Sfuzato Amalfitano' ripens in October and takes well storage and transportation. It is very similar to 'Lunario', yet also shows some signs that only hybrids of lemons with citrons do.
Corona Foothill, Corona Foothill Eureka, Foothill, Laidlaw, Villa Franca
'Villafranca' originates in Sicily, it was brought to Florida in 1875 and then later to California as well. Nowadays it is cultivated all over the world and is very important in Israel, but in other parts of the world it gradually diminishes.
The tree is erect, growing vigorously, even more than 'Eureka'. It was so popular because of its high yields and flowering throughout the year and its high resistance to harsh conditions such as frost, extremely high temperatures and winds. It resembles the variety 'Lisbon', but its crown is somewhat open, with lots of thorns in the early years. New shoots are usually purple and the whole tree has somewhat less leaves than other varieties. This cultivar is extremely productive, its fruit is medium-sized (6-7cm, long up to 9cm), weighs around 160-220g, is elliptic or slightly elongated and very similar to 'Eureka' fruit. It has small neck with a ridge in apical side. The rind is thin or not very thick, yet difficult to peel.
The pulp of 'Villafranca' is yellow and has very aromatic flavor. It is usually divided into 9-10 segments and contains lots of seeds. Its juice is yellow with a hint of green. The main harvest is in winter time, but some clones are fruiting year long. This variety is now well yielding in India, where it also doesn't live long. It is suitable for growing in flats, where it never drops leaves.
Zagara Bianca Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. Citroník
Femminello a zagara bianca, Femminello fior d'arancio, Femminello fior d'arancio m 79, Femminello Zagara Bianca, Fior d'arancio, Fiori d'arancio, Zagara Bianco
'Zagara Bianco' originates in Italy and most probably occurred as bud sport of the cultivar 'Femminello' in the region Acireale.
The tree is very vigorous growing to extreme heights, whereas its branches are thornless and the leaves elliptic, slightly rounded at the tip. 'Zagara Bianco' is very well yielding variety and therefore sought after.
It is interesting, that its flowers are pale white and this curiosity also gave this cultivar name. Young shoots are light green and very similar to those of oranges, which is very rare for lemon trees. Its fruit is medium-sized (130-160g) and has typical lemon shape with slightly rounded base and thicker, smooth and yellow rind. The pulp is yellow, very juicy and acidic (over 6% of acids) and has excellent quality. Currently is this variety the major marketing variety of Italy. It usually has 10 segments with thicker membranes and some seeds. 'Zagara Bianco' fruit ripens from October to December and takes well storing and transporting conditions. If the temperatures in winter fall below average citrus range minimums, it has a tendency to drop leaves.
Its clone 'Femminello fior d'arancio m 79' was improved with microinoculation.
Sweet lemons that have fruits with low amounts of acids:
Dorshapo Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.Citroník
Pomona Sweet, Sweet
This variety belongs to a group of sweet lemons. Its name is a combination of letters from the names of botanists, who brought this variety from Brazil in 1914: Dorsett, Shamel and Popeno.
It is a very vigorous tree, yet it has small yields and its branches are covered with thorns. One could say it's very similar to 'Eureka'. Young shoots and blossoms are typically purple and the fruit is full of ridges with a well distinguishable nipple. Pulp of 'Dorshapo' fruit is amber yellow with sweet, background flavor and without the typical aroma of sweet lime. Acidity is usually extremely low and according to some authors, this variety could be also a sweet lime.
Doux de Mediteranee, Duicis, Dulce, Dulcis, Hlou, Karès hlou, Sladký
'Dous de Mediteranee' is a local name of sweet variety grown mostly in Tunis and Marocco, but also other countries as well.
Its fruit is usually not very fat, but the most interesting thing about this variety is that among all those sweet lemons it has, there can also be found typical, sour lemons. Some fruits also have juice sacs with sour next to juice sacs with sweet flavor.
It can be found in old gardens, where it has been cultivated by Muslims and Jews. Its export is strictly limited only to local markets. This variety's clone 'Sweet' originates in former Yugoslavia and is sometimes described as individual variety.
Vainiglia Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. Citroník
As the name suggests, it should be a sweet variety very similar to sweet lemon Dorshapo (sweet).
With the exception of tropical varieties that die when the temperatures fall below 0°C, lemon tree is the least tolerant citrus to low temperatures; it can very easily be frost-damaged and recovers very long from such damage. The lowest safe temperature for mature lemon tree shoots is about -3°C, any lower temperature means severe plant damage and the temperatures below -5°C are deadly. That's why it is only cultivated in the regions, where temperatures often don't fall below 0°C in the winter.
The most ideal rootstocks for lemon varieties are C. volkameriana and C. macrophlyla, on which the lemon varieties can grow twice as fast as if they were grafted in Citrange Carrizo. Because of its very delicate root system, lemon seedlings are not used as rootstocks anywhere in the world.
The lemon tree usually requires well drained, sandy soils rich in minerals and literally hates wet conditions during winter, when it is susceptible to rotting. Of all the citruses grown in our climate, lemons are the most suitable for growing in flats with central heating.
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