Lemon

The lemon tree produces a pointed oval yellow fruit. Botanically this is a hesperidium, a modified berry with a tough, leathery rind. The rind is divided into an outer colored layer or zest, which is aromatic with essential oils, and an inner layer of white spongy pith. Inside are multiple carpels arranged as radial segments. The seeds develop inside the carpels. The space inside each segment is a locule filled with juice vesicles.{{cite book |last1=Ortiz |first1=Jesus M. |editor1-last=Di Giacomo |editor1-first=Angelo |editor2-last=Dugo |editor2-first=Giovanni |title=Citrus: The Genus Citrus |date=2002 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-2032-1661-3 |pages=25–26, 29–30 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OLaykfpqSaYC&dq=Citrus+genus&pg=PP1 |chapter=Botany: taxonomy, morphology and physiology of fruits, leaves and flowers }}

Lemons contain many phytochemicals, including polyphenols, terpenes, and tannins.{{cite journal |last1=Rauf |first1=Abdur |last2=Uddin |first2=Ghias |last3=Ali | first3=Jawad |year=2014 |title=Phytochemical analysis and radical scavenging profile of juices of Citrus sinensis, Citrus aurantifolia, and Citrus limonum |journal=Org Med Chem Lett |volume=4 |page=5 |doi=10.1186/2191-2858-4-5 |pmc=4091952 |pmid=25024932 |doi-access=free}} Their juice contains slightly more citric acid than lime juice (about 47 g/L), nearly twice as much as grapefruit juice, and about five times as much as orange juice.{{cite journal |last1=Penniston |first1=Kristina L. |last2=Nakada |first2=Stephen Y. |last3=Holmes |first3=Ross P. |last4=Assimos |first4=Dean G. |title=Quantitative Assessment of Citric Acid in Lemon Juice, Lime Juice, and Commercially-Available Fruit Juice Products |journal=Journal of Endourology |publisher=Mary Ann Liebert |volume=22 |issue=3 |year=2008 |doi=10.1089/end.2007.0304 |doi-access=free |pages=567–570|pmid=18290732 |pmc=2637791 }}

{{gallery|mode=packed

|Lemon-citrus limon seedling.jpg|Lemon seedling

|Citrus limon - Lemon tree - Limonero - Limoeiro.JPG|Full-sized tree

|Flowers blossoms.jpg|Flower

|P2101990,lemon.jpg|Mature lemons

}}

{{see also|Citrus taxonomy}}

The lemon, like many other cultivated Citrus species, is a hybrid, in its case of the citron and the bitter orange.{{Cite book |last1=Klein |first1=Joshua D. |volume=2 |pages=199–214 |doi=10.1007/978-94-017-9276-9_10 |series=Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World |year=2014 |title=Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the Middle-East |isbn=978-94-017-9275-2 |chapter=Citron Cultivation, Production and Uses in the Mediterranean Region}}{{cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Guohong Albert |last2=Terol |first2=Javier |last3=Ibanez |first3=Victoria |last4=López-García |first4=Antonio |last5=Pérez-Román |first5=Estela |last6=Borredá |first6=Carles |last7=Domingo |first7=Concha |last8=Tadeo |first8=Francisco R. |last9=Carbonell-Caballero |first9=Jose |last10=Alonso |first10=Roberto |last11=Curk |first11=Franck |last12=Du |first12=Dongliang |last13=Ollitrault |first13=Patrick |last14=Roose |first14=Mikeal L. Roose |last15=Dopazo |first15=Joaquin |last16=Gmitter Jr |first16=Frederick G. |last17=Rokhsar |first17=Daniel |last18=Talon |first18=Manuel |display-authors=5 |title=Genomics of the origin and evolution of Citrus |journal=Nature |year=2018 |volume=554 |issue=7692 |pages=311–316 |doi=10.1038/nature25447 |pmid=29414943 |bibcode=2018Natur.554..311W |doi-access=free |hdl=20.500.11939/5741 |hdl-access=free}} and Supplement

File:Hybrid origins of orange.svg of the citron and the bitter orange.]]

File:Citrus x limon - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-041.jpg, 1897 ]]

Lemons were most likely first grown in northeast India. The origin of the word lemon may be Middle Eastern.{{cite web |last=Morton |first=Julia F. |title=Lemon in Fruits of Warm Climates |year=1987 |pages=160–168 |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/lemon.html#Description |publisher=Purdue University |access-date=December 18, 2007 |archive-date=November 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191126031859/https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/lemon.html#Description |url-status=live}} The word draws from the Old French limon, then Italian limone, from the Arabic {{lang|ar|ليمون}} laymūn or līmūn, and from the Persian {{lang|fa|لیمو}} līmūn, a generic term for citrus fruit, which is a cognate of Sanskrit (nimbū, 'lime').{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=lemon |title=Online Etymology Dictionary |last=Harper |first=Douglas |access-date=May 13, 2012 |archive-date=August 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806050048/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=lemon |url-status=live}}

Lemons entered Europe near southern Italy no later than the second century AD, during the time of Ancient Rome. They were later introduced to Persia and then to Iraq and Egypt around 700 AD. The lemon was first recorded in literature in a 10th-century Arabic treatise on farming; it was used as an ornamental plant in early Islamic gardens. It was distributed widely throughout the Arab world and the Mediterranean region in the Arab Agricultural Revolution between 1000 and 1150. A section on lemon and lime tree cultivation in Andalusia, Spain, was included in Ibn al-'Awwam's 12th-century agricultural work, {{lang|ar|Kitāb al-Filāha}} ("Book on Agriculture").{{cite book |last=Ibn al-'Awwam |first=Yaḥyá |url=https://archive.org/details/lelivredelagric00algoog/page/n14/mode/2up |title=Le livre de l'agriculture d'Ibn-al-Awam (kitab-al-felahah) |publisher=A. Franck |year=1864 |location=Paris |pages=300–301 (ch. 7 - Article 32) |language=fr |translator=J.-J. Clement-Mullet |oclc=780050566 |author-link=Ibn al-'Awwam}} (pp. 300–301) (Article XXXII) The first substantial cultivation of lemons in Europe began in Genoa in the middle of the 15th century. It was introduced to the Americas in 1493, when Christopher Columbus brought lemon seeds to Hispaniola on his voyages. Spanish conquest throughout the New World helped spread lemon seeds, part of the Columbian exchange of plants between the Old and New Worlds. It was mainly used as an ornamental plant and for medicine. In the 19th century, lemons were increasingly planted in Florida and California. In 1747, the English physician James Lind's experiments on seamen suffering from scurvy involved adding lemon juice to their diets, though vitamin C was not yet known as an important dietary ingredient.{{cite book |last=Lind |first=James |author-link=James Lind (physician) |title=A treatise on the scurvy |edition=Second |publisher=A. Millar |year=1757 |place=London}}

Lemons need a minimum temperature of around {{convert|7|C|F}}, so they are not hardy year-round in temperate climates, but become hardier as they mature.{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/fruit/citrus |title=Citrus |publisher=Royal Horticultural Society |date=2017 |access-date=19 April 2017 |archive-date=April 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420235304/https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/fruit/citrus |url-status= live}} Citrus require minimal pruning by trimming overcrowded branches, with the tallest branch cut back to encourage bushy growth. Throughout summer, pinching back tips of the most vigorous growth assures more abundant canopy development. As mature plants may produce unwanted, fast-growing shoots (called "water shoots"), these are removed from the main branches at the bottom or middle of the plant. There is reputed merit in the tradition of urinating near a lemon tree.{{cite book |last1=Capomolla |first1=Fabian |last2=Pember |first2=Matthew |chapter=Lemon |title =The Little Veggie Patch Co. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1w2jBgAAQBAJ |location=Sydney, New South Wales |publisher=Plum |date=2011 |page=129 |isbn=9781742628417 |access-date=2020-04-27 |quote=Urinating around a lemon tree provides a tonic of water, salt and minerals, much like that of an organic fertiliser |archive-date=March 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314054347/https://books.google.com/books?id=1w2jBgAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last1=Capomolla |first1=Fabian |title=Growing Food the Italian Way |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J5MtDwAAQBAJ |series=The Hungry Gardener |publisher=Plum |date=2017 |page=168 |isbn=9781760554903 |access-date=2020-04-27 |quote=Yes, it is true - urinating on the soil around a lemon tree is beneficial to the plant. Just don't overdo it, as that can be detrimental. |archive-date=March 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314054242/https://books.google.com/books?id=J5MtDwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}

In cultivation in the UK, the cultivars "Meyer"{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/29386/i-Citrus-i-%C3%97-i-limon-i-Meyer-%28F%29/Details |title=RHS Plantfinder - Citrus × limon 'Meyer' |access-date=30 January 2018 |archive-date=January 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200104072437/https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/29386/i-Citrus-i-%C3%97-i-limon-i-Meyer-(F)/Details |url-status=live}} and "Variegata"{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/90013/i-Citrus-i-%C3%97-i-limon-i-Variegata-%28F-v%29/Details |title=RHS Plantfinder - Citrus × limon 'Variegata' |access-date=30 January 2018 |archive-date=December 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230095752/https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/90013/i-Citrus-i-%C3%97-i-limon-i-Variegata-(F-v)/Details |url-status=live}} have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017).{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf |title=AGM Plants - Ornamental |date=July 2017 |page=20 |publisher=Royal Horticultural Society |access-date=24 January 2018 |archive-date=January 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105180412/https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf |url-status=live }}

In 2022, world production of lemons (combined with limes for reporting) was 22 million tonnes led by India with 18% of the total. Mexico and China were major secondary producers (table).

The 'Bonnie Brae' is oblong, smooth, thin-skinned, and seedless.{{cite book |title=The orange: its culture in California |last=Spalding |first=William A. |year=1885 |publisher=Press and Horticulturist Steam Print |location=Riverside, California |page=[https://archive.org/details/orangeitsculture00spalrich/page/88 88] |url=https://archive.org/details/orangeitsculture00spalrich |quote=Bonnie Brae lemon. |access-date=March 2, 2012 }} These are mostly grown in San Diego County, US.{{cite book |title=Rational Diet: An Advanced Treatise on the Food Question |last=Carque |first=Otto |orig-year=1923 |year=2006 |publisher=Kessinger Publishing |location=Los Angeles, California |isbn=978-1-4286-4244-7 |page=195 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zDjmYpZGh_4C&q=Bonnie%20Brae%20lemon&pg=PA195 |access-date=March 2, 2012 |archive-date=March 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314054303/https://books.google.com/books?id=zDjmYpZGh_4C&q=Bonnie%20Brae%20lemon&pg=PA195 |url-status=live }}

The 'Eureka' grows year-round and abundantly. This is the common supermarket lemon, also known as "Four Seasons" (Quatre Saisons) because of its ability to produce fruit and flowers together throughout the year. This variety is also available as a plant for domestic customers.{{cite news |first=Ursula |last=Buchan |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/3325753/Kitchen-garden-lemon-tree.html |title=Kitchen garden: lemon tree |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=January 22, 2005 |access-date=January 24, 2014 |location=London |archive-date=March 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313175245/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/3325753/Kitchen-garden-lemon-tree.html |url-status=live }} There is also a pink-fleshed Eureka lemon with a green and yellow variegated outer skin.[http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/variegatedpink.html Variegated pink] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201043411/http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/variegatedpink.html|date=December 1, 2017}} at the Citrus Variety Collection.

The Lisbon lemon is very similar to the Eureka and is the other common supermarket lemon. It is smoother than the Eureka, has thinner skin, and has fewer or no seeds. It generally produces more juice than the Eureka.{{Cite web |title=frostlisbon |url=https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/frostlisbon.html |access-date=2020-09-27 |website=citrusvariety.ucr.edu |archive-date=November 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106131123/https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/frostlisbon.html |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2007-02-01 |title=Eureka Lemon and Lisbon Lemon: Kitchen Basics |url=https://harvesttotable.com/eureka_lemon_and_lisbon_lemon/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106014024/https://harvesttotable.com/eureka_lemon_and_lisbon_lemon/ |archive-date=November 6, 2020 |access-date=2020-09-27 |website=Harvest to Table |language=en-US}}

The 'Femminello St. Teresa', or 'Sorrento' originates in Italy. This fruit's zest is high in lemon oils. It is the variety traditionally used in the making of limoncello.{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/features/la-fo-limoncello8sep08,0,771590.story |title=Taste of a thousand lemons |work=Los Angeles Times |date=September 8, 2004 |access-date=November 21, 2011 |archive-date=December 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131222145004/http://www.latimes.com/features/la-fo-limoncello8sep08,0,771590.story |url-status=live }}

The 'Yen Ben' is an Australasian cultivar.{{cite web |url=http://ceventura.ucdavis.edu/ben/citrus/misc/new_zealand.htm |title=New Zealand Citrus |publisher=University of California Davis |access-date=June 13, 2010 |archive-date=June 10, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610054722/http://ceventura.ucdavis.edu/ben/citrus/misc/new_zealand.htm |url-status=dead }}

{{nutritional value | name=Lemon, raw, without peel

| kJ=121

| protein=1.1 g

| fat=0.3 g

| carbs=9.32 g

| fiber=2.8 g

| sugars=2.5 g

| calcium_mg=26

| iron_mg=0.6

| magnesium_mg=8

| phosphorus_mg=16

| potassium_mg=138

| zinc_mg=0.06

| manganese_mg=0.03

| vitC_mg=53

| thiamin_mg=0.04

| riboflavin_mg=0.02

| niacin_mg=0.1

| pantothenic_mg=0.19

| vitB6_mg=0.08

| folate_ug=11

| choline_mg=5.1

| source_usda=1

| note=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160126221315/http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list?qlookup=09150&format=Full Link to USDA Database entry]

}}

Lemon is a rich source of vitamin C, providing 64% of the Daily Value in a 100 g reference amount (table). Other essential nutrients are low in content.

{{see also|List of lemon dishes and drinks}}

Lemon juice and rind are used in a wide variety of foods and drinks, the juice for its sour taste, from its content of 5–6% citric acid.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pkzx2TeYYT8C&pg=RA3-PA663 |title=Comprehensive Natural Products II: Chemistry and Biology |publisher=Elsevier |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-08045382-8 |page=663 |access-date=August 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004113941/https://books.google.com/books?id=pkzx2TeYYT8C&pg=RA3-PA663 |archive-date=October 4, 2023 |url-status=live}} The whole lemon is used to make marmalade,{{cite web |title=Lemon marmalade |url=https://www.bbcgoodfoodme.com/recipes/lemon-marmalade/ |access-date=26 October 2024 |website=BBC Good Food - Middle East |publisher=}} lemon curd{{cite web |title=Lemon curd |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lemon_curd_68499 |access-date=2015-01-08 |publisher=BBC}} and lemon liqueurs such as Limoncello.{{cite news |author=Perry, Charles |url=http://www.latimes.com/features/la-fo-limoncello8sep08,0,771590.story |title=Taste of a thousand lemons |work=Los Angeles Times |date=September 8, 2004 |access-date=10 April 2012}} Lemon slices and lemon rind are used as a garnish for food and drinks. Lemon zest, the grated outer rind of the fruit, is used to add flavor to baked goods.{{cite web |last1=Arora |first1=Riya |title=10 ways to use lemon zest in cooking |url=https://recipes.timesofindia.com/web-stories/10-ways-to-use-lemon-zest-in-cooking/photostory/112253623.cms |work=Times of India |access-date=26 October 2024 |date=5 August 2024}} The juice is used to make lemonade{{cite web |title=History of Lemonade |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/history-of-lemonade |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=27 October 2024 |website=Atlas Obscura|date=April 17, 2023 }} and some cocktails.{{cite web |last1=Nice |first1=Miriam |title=Lemon drop |url=https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/lemon-drop |publisher=BBC |access-date=26 October 2024}}

It is used in marinades for fish, where its acid neutralizes amines in fish.{{cite web |title=Is Fish Smelly? |url=https://nutrition.org/is-fish-smelly/ |publisher=American Society for Nutrition |access-date=26 October 2024 |date=24 August 2021}} In meat, the acid partially hydrolyzes tough collagen fibers, tenderizing it.{{cite web |title=Fruit enzymes tenderise meat |url=https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1945-fruit-enzymes-tenderise-meat |access-date=2020-05-14 |website=Science Learning Hub |archive-date=May 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523160625/https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1945-fruit-enzymes-tenderise-meat |url-status=live }} In the United Kingdom, lemon juice is frequently added to pancakes eaten to celebrate Shrove Tuesday.{{cite news |title=Mary Berry's three-ingredient pancake recipe for Shrove Tuesday 2023 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/mary-berry-pancake-recipe-shrove-tuesday-b2286284.html |access-date=26 October 2024 |work=The Independent |date=21 February 2023}} Lemon juice is used as a short-term preservative on certain foods that tend to oxidize and turn brown after being sliced (enzymatic browning), such as apples, bananas, and avocados: its acidity suppresses oxidation by polyphenol oxidase enzymes.{{cite web |title=Fruit and vegetables: enzymic browning |date=May 15, 2017 |url=https://www.ifst.org/lovefoodlovescience/resources/fruit-and-vegetables-enzymic-browning |publisher=Institute of Food Science and Technology |access-date=21 October 2024}}

Lemon peel is used in the manufacture of pectin, a gelling agent and stabilizer in food and other products.{{cite journal |last1=Dimopoulou |first1=Maria |last2=Alba |first2=Katerina |last3=Campbell |first3=Grant |last4=Kontogiorgos |first4=Vassilis |date=2019-11-01 |title=Pectin recovery and characterization from lemon juice waste streams |journal=Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture |volume=99 |issue=14 |pages=6191–6198 |bibcode=2019JSFA...99.6191D |doi=10.1002/jsfa.9891 |pmid=31250441 |s2cid=195760607}} In Mediterranean countries including Morocco, lemons are preserved in jars or barrels of salt. The salt penetrates the peel and rind, softening them, and curing them so that they last almost indefinitely.{{Cite web |last=Moskin |first=Julia |title=Preserved Lemons Recipe |url=https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016212-preserved-lemons |access-date=2020-05-14 |website=NYT Cooking |archive-date=May 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513224940/https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016212-preserved-lemons |url-status=live }}

Lemon oil is extracted from oil-containing cells in the skin. A machine breaks up the cells and uses a water spray to flush off the oil. The oil–water mixture is then filtered and separated by centrifugation.{{cite book |last=Tranchida |first=Peter Quinto |title=Citrus Oils |pages=482–516 |year=2010 |chapter=Advanced Analytical Techniques for the Analysis of Citrus Oils |publisher=CRC Press |doi=10.1201/b10314-16 |isbn=978-1-4398-0029-4}}

The leaves of the lemon tree are used to make a tea and for preparing cooked meats and seafoods.{{cite news |title=Lemon leaves and their unique culinary usage |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/are-lemon-leaves-as-good-as-lemons-all-about-lemon-leaves-and-their-uses/articleshow/112719567.cms |work=The Times of India |date=22 August 2024}}

File:Salmon roll sushi with lemon garnish, September 2008.jpg|Lemon as a garnish

File:Oysters served on ice, with lemon and parsley.jpg|Oysters with lemon

File:Tenglong Chinese Restaurant Lemon Chicken (37577556406).jpg|Lemon chicken

File:A Lemon Meringue Tart.jpg|Lemon meringue pie

File:Lemonade - 27682817724.jpg|Lemonade

File:Limoncello ready for drinking! (5585765455).jpg|Limoncello

Lemons were the primary commercial source of citric acid before the development of fermentation-based processes.{{cite book |author=M. Hofrichter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=80XBNrGsIywC&pg=PA224 |title=Industrial Applications |publisher=Springer |year=2010 |isbn=978-3-642-11458-8 |page=224}}

Lemon oil is used in aromatherapy. Lemon oil aroma does not influence the human immune system,{{cite journal |last1=Kiecolt-Glaser |first1=J. K. |last2=Graham |first2=J. E. |last3=Malarkey |first3=W. B. |last4=Porter |first4=K. |last5=Lemeshow |first5=S. |last6=Glaser |first6=R |year=2008 |title=Olfactory influences on mood and autonomic, endocrine, and immune function |journal=Psychoneuroendocrinology |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=328–39 |doi=10.1016/j.psyneuen.2007.11.015 |pmc=2278291 |pmid=18178322}} but may contribute to relaxation.{{cite journal |last1=Cooke |first1=B. |last2=Ernst |first2=E. |year=2000 |title=Aromatherapy: A systematic review |journal=British Journal of General Practice |volume=50 |issue=455 |pages=493–6 |pmc=1313734 |pmid=10962794}}

An educational science experiment involves attaching electrodes to a lemon and using it as a battery to produce electricity. Although very low power, several lemon batteries can power a small digital watch.{{cite web |title=Lemon Power |url=http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/lemon.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519151259/http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/lemon.html |archive-date=May 19, 2017 |access-date=December 7, 2014 |publisher=California Energy Commission}}

Lemon juice forms a simple invisible ink, developed by heat.{{Cite web |last=Mirsky |first=Steve |date=April 20, 2010 |title=Invisible Ink and More: The Science of Spying in the Revolutionary War |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/invisible-ink-and-other-science-of-10-04-20/ |access-date=October 15, 2016 |website=Scientific American |archive-date=October 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021094951/https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/invisible-ink-and-other-science-of-10-04-20/ |url-status=live }}

Lemon juice is sometimes used to increase the blonde color of hair, acting as a natural highlight after the moistened hair is exposed to sunlight. This works because citric acid acts as bleach.{{cite web |date=2020 |title=Here's how to lighten your hair at home with lemon juice (it actually works) |url=https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/lemon-juice-in-hair |access-date=16 Sep 2020 |website=Glamour UK |archive-date=September 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928151522/https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/lemon-juice-in-hair |url-status=live }}{{cite web |date=2020 |title=Does lemon juice really lighten hair? |url=https://www.klorane.com/uk-en/feelgoodactgood/does-lemon-juice-really-lighten-hair |access-date=18 Sep 2020 |publisher=Klorane Laboratories |archive-date=January 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122155915/https://www.klorane.com/uk-en/feelgoodactgood/does-lemon-juice-really-lighten-hair |url-status=live }}

• Flat lemon, a mandarin hybrid.{{Cite journal|title=Diversity of Citrus depressa Hayata (Shiikuwasha) revealed by DNA analysis|journal=Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution|volume=64|issue=4|pages=805–814|doi=10.1007/s10722-016-0403-2|year = 2017|last1 = Yamamoto|first1 = Masashi|last2=Takakura|first2=Akiko|last3=Tanabe|first3=Aika|last4=Teramoto|first4=Sayuri|last5=Kita|first5=Masayuki|s2cid=35979614}}
• Meyer lemon, a cross between a citron and a mandarin/pomelo hybrid distinct from sour or sweet orange,{{cite journal | title=Phylogenetic origin of limes and lemons revealed by cytoplasmic and nuclear markers | last1=Curk | first1=Franck | last2=Ollitrault | first2= Frédérique | last3=Garcia-Lor | first3= Andres | last4=Luro | first4=François | last5=Navarro | first5=Luis | last6=Ollitrault | first6=Patrick | journal=Annals of Botany | volume=11 | pages=565–583 | year=2016 | issue=4 | doi=10.1093/aob/mcw005 | pmc=4817432 | pmid=26944784}}
• Ponderosa lemon, more cold-sensitive than true lemons, the fruit are thick-skinned and very large. Genetic analysis showed it to be a complex hybrid of citron and pomelo.
• Rough lemon, a citron-mandarin cross, cold-hardy and often used as a citrus rootstock
• Sweet lemons or sweet limes, a mixed group including the lumia (pear lemon), limetta, and Palestinian sweet lime. Among them is the Jaffa lemon, a pomelo-citron hybrid.
• Volkamer lemon, like the rough lemon, a citron-mandarin cross

Lemons appear in paintings, pop art, and novels. A wall painting in the tomb of Nakht in 15th century BC Egypt depicts a woman in a festival, holding a lemon. In the 17th century, Giovanna Garzoni painted a Still Life with Bowl of Citrons, the fruits still attached to leafy flowering twigs, with a wasp on one of the fruits. The impressionist Edouard Manet depicted a lemon on a pewter plate. In modern art, Arshile Gorky painted Still Life with Lemons in the 1930s.{{cite news |last=Reidy |first=Tess |title=The king of zing: lemons in art – in pictures |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2024/mar/23/the-king-of-zing-lemons-in-art-in-pictures |work=The Guardian |date=23 March 2024}}

In India, a lemon may be ritually encircled around a person in the belief that it repels negative energies.{{cite news |title=The Correct Method of Evil Eye Removal: A Guide to Clearing Negative Vibes |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/astrology/kundali-dasha-remedies/the-correct-method-of-evil-eye-removal-a-guide-to-clearing-negative-vibes/articleshow/113198618.cms |access-date=29 October 2024 |work=The Times of India |date=9 September 2024}} It is a common practice for Hindu owners of a new car to drive over four lemons, one under each wheel, crushing them during their first drive. This is believed to protect the driver from accidents.{{Cite book |last=Leslie |first=Julia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sKDm8EH2L3kC&dq=Lemon+ritual+India&pg=PA94 |title=Roles and Rituals for Hindu Women |date=1992 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |isbn=978-81-208-1036-5 |page=116}} Hindu deities are sometimes depicted with lemons in their iconography, representing the attribute of wealth or abundance.{{Cite book |last1=Pal |first1=Pratapaditya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PMUp4nxAqwwC&dq=lemon+Hindu+goddess&pg=PA41 |title=Divine Images, Human Visions: The Max Tanenbaum Collection of South Asian and Himalayan Art in the National Gallery of Canada |date=1997 |publisher=National Gallery of Canada |isbn=978-1-896209-05-0 |page=41}}

In 20th century American self-improvement culture, Dale Carnegie advised readers "If You Have a Lemon, Make a Lemonade", meaning to make the best of what you have. In the 21st century, a defective machine such as a car is called a lemon.{{cite web |last=Huang |first=Jean |title=When Life Gives You Lemons, It's a Status Symbol: On the Evolving Literary and Cultural History of Citrus |url=https://lithub.com/when-life-gives-you-lemons-its-a-status-symbol-on-the-evolving-literary-and-cultural-history-of-citrus/ |website=LitHub |access-date=20 October 2024 |date=1 October 2021}}

File:Tomb of Nakht.jpg|Fresco in the Tomb of Nakht, woman with lemons, 15th century BC

File:Jacob_Foppen_van_Es_-_Still_life_with_pitcher.jpg|Still life with pitcher, Jacob Foppens van Es, between 1617 and 1666

File:Giovanna Garzoni (Italian) - Still Life with Bowl of Citrons - Google Art Project.jpg|Still Life with Bowl of Citrons, Giovanna Garzoni, late 1640s

File:Édouard Manet - Le citron.jpg|Lemon, Édouard Manet, 1880

File:Lemon by Arshile Gorky 1930s.jpg|Still Life with Lemons, Arshile Gorky, early 1930s

• Limey – the original ration for British sailors was lemon juice

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• {{wiktionary-inline}}
• {{Commons-inline|Citrus × limon}}
• {{Wikispecies-inline|Citrus × limon}}
• {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Lemon |volume=16 |pages=413–415 |ref=none |short=1}} (with illustrations)

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Category:Citrus hybrids

Category:Cocktail garnishes

Category:Fruit trees

Category:Sour fruits