A small evergreen citrus tree grown mainly for its sour yellow fruit, which is used for juice, zest and cooking. It thrives with plenty of sun, warmth and regular feeding, and is often grown in pots in cool climates.
Family
Rutaceae (Citrus family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Full sun
Water
Water deeply when the top few centimetres of soil dry out, and avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Free-draining, slightly acidic potting mix or loam.
Temperature
15–30 °C; protect below 5 °C, as frost damages the tree.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Not known to be toxic
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
as a cultigen derived from artificial hybrids.
Climate
subtropical
About
The lemon (Citrus × limon) is a species of small evergreen tree in the Citrus genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some evidence suggests lemons originated during the 1st millennium BC in what is now northeastern India. Some other citrus fruits are called lemon.
The yellow fruit of the lemon tree is used throughout the world, primarily for its juice. The pulp and rind are used in cooking and baking. The juice of the lemon is about 5–6% citric acid, giving it a sour taste. This makes it a key ingredient in drinks and foods such as lemonade and lemon meringue pie.
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lemon by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.