LEMON(LIME) IS A FRUIT.
Courtesy: Hundekar Home Garden , Bengaluru.
LEMON TREE SAPLING LEMON TREE
Family : lemon, (Citrus limon), small tree or spreading bush of the rue family (Rutaceae) and its edible fruit. The lemon forms a spreading bush or a small tree, 3–6 m (10–.
20 feet )high if not pruned.
Origin: The lemon was probably unknown to the ancient Greeks and Romans, but it was introduced into Spain and North Africa some time between the years ad 1000 and 1200. The United States and Italy are major producers of lemons. Other producing countries include Spain, Greece, Turkey, Argentina, Lebanon, Chile, Brazil, Israel, Australia, Tunisia, South Africa, Algeria, Cyprus, and Portugal. About half of the lemon crop is usually shipped to the fresh-fruit market.
Flowers: The flowers have a sweet odour and are rather large, solitary or in small clusters in the axils of the leaves.
Fruit: The fruit is oval with a broad, low, apical nipple and 8 to 10 segments. The outer rind, or peel, yellow when ripe and rather thick in some varieties, is prominently glandular-dotted.
Varieties :The chief varieties of lemons were formerly the Lisbon, a variety introduced from Australia, and the Eureka, a variety that originated from a seedling tree grown in California.
Seeds:The seeds are small, ovoid, and pointed; occasionally, fruits are seedless. The pulp is decidedly acid. The predominant acid present is citric acid, which may amount to 5 percent or more by weight of the lemon’s juice.Seedlings of these species are superior to lemon seedlings as rootstocks because they are more uniform and less susceptible to the various crown- and foot-rot diseases.
Climate:The relatively cool, equable climatic zones of coastal Italy and California are especially favourable for lemon cultivation. The trees are commonly grown in orchards, spaced 5–8 m (16–26 feet) apart. Lemon trees usually bloom throughout the year, and the fruit is picked 6 to 10 times a year. Full-sized fruit for commercial purposes is about 50 mm (2 inches) in diameter. The fruit is usually picked while still green and, after curing, may be kept three months or more in storage.
Juice: Lemon juice is rich in vitamin C and contains smaller amounts of the B vitamins, particularly B1, B2, and niacin. Juice of the lemon is a characteristic ingredient in many pastries and desserts, such as tarts and the traditional American lemon meringue pie. The astringent, distinctive flavour of the fruit is also used to enhance many poultry, fish, and vegetable dishes worldwide. Lemonade, made with lemon, sugar, and water, is a popular warm-weather beverage, and the juice itself is commonly added to tea.
Byproducts: Among the important by-products of lemons are citric acid, citrate of lime, lemon oil, and pectin. Preparation of the oil, used in perfumes, soap, and flavouring extract, is an important industry in Sicily. Citric acid is used in beverage manufacturing.
LEMON GROWN IN BONSAI CULTURE
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