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Lemon is a medium-sized evergreen tree of the citrus genus. Its fruits are consumed fresh, used in cooking, medicine, the production of cosmetics, perfumery, canned food. Lemon varieties are divided into soil, greenhouse and indoor. In tropical climates, the crop bears fruit all year round. The plant is durable, can live over 100 years. Fruits contain vitamins A, P, group B, salts of iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, pectins, phytoncides. The following will describe the most popular varieties and hybrids of lemons.
Variety of types and varieties of lemon
According to the form of growth, lemons are divided into treelike and bushy. The first ones grow up to 6-8 m, the second ones reach 2-3 m in height. The varieties are distinguished for botanical and commercial. The latter depend on the condition of the fruits taken from one plant:
- Primafiore - so called small, dark green fruits, strongly acidic fruits from the first flowers.
- Bianchetti - harvested during the period of technical ripeness. At this time, they are no longer green, but not yet yellow.
- Bastardo - lemons in full ripeness. Large, thick-skinned, with an oily skin. They reveal all the rich taste and aroma inherent in the fruits of this type.
The color of the peel and pulp of sour citrus is varied, various shades of yellow, green, orange are possible. The fruit is a multi-celled berry (hesperidium) surrounded by a pericarp. It can have an oval, drop-shaped, pear-shaped, rounded shape, often supplemented by a neck at the base and a nipple at the end.
How many types of lemon are there
Among other citrus fruits, lemon is represented by the largest number of species and varieties. According to morphological and genetic characteristics, they are divided into 4 groups:
- Common lemon - unites plants with sour fruits of light yellow color, oval in shape with tapering at both ends, a crust that is difficult to separate. It bears fruit generously, heat and drought resistant. Represented by cultivars Eureka and Lisbon. Sortoid Eureka was bred at the end of the 20th century in California. These are trees with a loose spherical crown, weakly prickly shoots, medium-sized fruits with a rough or slightly ribbed peel. Lemons belonging to the Lisbon cultivar are tall plants with a densely leafy oval crown formed from upright, strongly thorny shoots. Forms large fruits with a smooth, shiny skin. Cultivated in Southeast and Central Asia, Southern Europe, the Caucasus.
- Sweet - includes varieties with juicy, slightly acidic and palatable fruit pulp. Their peel color can be yellow, yellowish-green, light orange, the shape is round or elongated-rounded. Arose as a result of various citrus hybridizations. They are grown in the Mediterranean countries, Western Asia, Western India.
- Rough - trees up to 3-4 m in height, rounded or conical crown, thick weakly prickly shoots. Fruits are oval or pear-shaped with a wide nipple at the end, thick wrinkled rough, sometimes bumpy or wrinkled skin. The pulp is grayish-yellow, moderately sour, has medium juiciness and contains a large number of seeds. Cultivated in South Asia and Latin America.
- Different - this group includes hybrids with sour and sweet fruits. These are interspecific combinations that combine the properties of 2 or more citrus plants. There are also double varieties that form sour and sweet fruits on the same tree.
Most types of lemon begin to bear fruit 3-4 years after planting, reaching maximum yields by 10 years.
How many varieties of lemon are there
There are about 150 varieties of sour citrus in the world; up to 14 million fruits of this plant are harvested annually. Cultivation of crops on an industrial scale is practiced all over the world, the leaders are India, Mexico, Argentina, China, Brazil. This is a capricious plant, demanding on temperature and humidity conditions, soil composition. In the southern regions, it is grown in open ground, in cold areas - in greenhouse and tub culture. The most popular varieties:
- Villafranca - a tree with a dense leafy spreading crown. Bred in the USA. Fruits are of medium size, oblong-oval in shape, have a fine-grained, juicy, tender, aromatic pulp. The skin is smooth, dense, of medium thickness. At the end there is a short blunt nipple with a semicircular groove at the base. The variety is fast-growing, begins to bear fruit in the 3rd year after planting.
- Genoa - low-growing, moderately leafy tree without thorns. Fruits are oblong-oval with a sharp nipple at the top. The pulp is tender, juicy, grayish-yellow. The skin is yellow or greenish-yellow, slightly rough, dense, thick, has a sweetish taste. The variety is high-yielding: up to 180 fruits are harvested from an adult tree.
- Novogruzinsky - a high-yielding variety, bred at the Sukhum Experimental Station, grown on an industrial scale in Georgia and Abkhazia. The tree grows up to 2 m in height, has a dense spreading crown. Begins fruiting in 4-5 years. Fruits are elongated-oval, with a wide blunt nipple, the peel is shiny, smooth, of medium thickness. The pulp has a delicate acidity and strong aroma. In the open field, it produces up to 100 fruits per year. The average fruit weight is 120 g.
- Commune - an old high-yielding Italian variety. The tree is of medium height, with sparse small thorns. The fruits are large, oval, and contain no seeds. The pulp is tender, juicy, aromatic, strongly acidic. The peel is lumpy, not thick.
- Drummer - bred in 1939 in Batumi. The tree is medium-sized, with a broadly oval, densely leafy crown and highly thorny shoots. The fruits are large, oval, with a wide nipple and a slightly ribbed base in the form of a neck. The peel is smooth, rough, yellow. The pulp is sour, tender, greenish-yellow.
- Tashkent - bred by the breeder Z. Fakhrutdinov. The compact, undersized tree forms many small fruits (80-90 g) with a thin peel and delicate orange pulp. It blooms and bears fruit twice a year, prone to crop overload.
- Anniversary - bred by the Tashkent citrus expert Z. Fakhrutdinov by crossing Novogruzinsky and Tashkent varieties. A low-growing tree begins to bear fruit for 2 years. Lemons are oblong, thick-skinned, weighing from 500 g. The Yubileiny variety is unpretentious, hardy, yielding, capable of 100% fruit setting in conditions of low humidity and high temperatures.
- World - obtained from crossing Novogruzinsky lemon and Sochi orange. A tall, spreading tree without thorns. Fruits are round, thin-skinned, large - up to 300 g, grow singly or in bunches of 5 pieces.
Achievements of breeders or a little about hybrids
Lemons are constantly undergoing selective breeding improvements. They are crossed with other citrus fruits to improve their appearance and taste. Here is some of them:
- Rosso - a hybrid of lemon with citron, has a yellow peel with red shades and strongly colored flesh.
- Bizzaro - a high-yielding variety, on a thick, bright yellow thick peel of teardrop-shaped fruits there are relief longitudinal outgrowths.
- Borneo - Outwardly, it does not stand out among other varieties of lemons, it is notable for its strong aromatic properties, which appear even when the plant is touched.
- Eureka variegated - at the beginning of ripening, the fruits have a striped color, at the end the skin turns pink. The pulp is also pink.
- Arcobal - a hybrid of Meyer's lemon and blood orange. At full maturity, the peel turns orange with bright red stripes. The pulp is sweet and sour, with the taste and aroma of orange.
- Sanguineum - forms large fruits with reddish flesh. At the beginning of ripening, the peel is amber-green with stripes, later it becomes yellow-coral in color.
- Buddha's hand - decorative inedible citrus with dry, bitter pulp. The fruits resemble a hand, exude a delicate violet scent.
- Limandarin - a mixture of lemon and tangerine. Covered with orange skin, has a sour taste.
- Lemonadzhi - a hybrid of orange and lemon, has an oval-elongated shape, orange peel and lemon sour taste.
Citrus fruits perfectly interbreed with each other, the resulting fruits surprise with their appearance, unusual taste or strong aroma.
What kind of lemon is best to grow in an apartment
There is an opinion that it is best to grow regionalized varieties of lemons in a tub culture. But enthusiasts who do not want to recognize the rules and frameworks manage to grow the most unusual species at home and wait for fruits from them. The best indoor lemon varieties are:
- Meyer (Chinese lemon, Chinese dwarf) - undersized variety of early and abundant fruiting. Natural hybrid of lemon and orange. Round, slightly acidic fruits of yellow or orange flowers appear in 2-3 years. Blooms at small intervals 4 times a year. Most popular among indoor lemons.
- Pavlovsky - a low plant that blooms all year round. Fruits are large, oval, thin-skinned, seedless. More than other varieties, they are adapted to room conditions - they easily tolerate a lack of moisture and a lack of sunlight. This is one of the best lemons to grow at home.
- Panderosa (Canadian lemon) is a dwarf hybrid of lemon and grapefruit. Forms large, up to 1 kg in weight, fruits, up to 7 pieces per plant. It develops well in a lack of sunlight.
- Maikop - an unpretentious, high-yielding variety of lemons, bears fruit for 3 years after planting. A low-growing tree with a lush crown of thin drooping branches. Among the popular home varieties of lemons, it looks the most decorative, the photo confirms this.
- Kursk - a clone of the Novogruzinsky variety. A short shrub is undemanding to growing conditions, has an average yield. It tolerates a lack of moisture and poor lighting.
- Irkutsk large-fruited - bred by an amateur citrus grower V.I.Borishchuk. Fruiting the next year after planting, citrus fruits can reach a weight of 1.5 kg. The plant is not tall, does not require crown formation. It is still a newcomer among the varieties of lemons on the windowsill, but is gradually gaining popularity.
Indoor lemons should be placed in a sunny location. During the hot period at noon, the plant should be shaded to avoid sunburn. In winter, daylight hours must be extended to 10-12 hours using artificial lighting. The room must be regularly ventilated, but drafts must be avoided. On the Internet, on horticultural forums, you can often find discussions of varieties of indoor lemons with photos and a description of the growing process. Someone else's experience, mistakes, advice are good help for a beginner citrus grower.
How to identify a lemon variety
Some varieties are easily recognizable by the appearance of the fruit of the lemons; most cannot be identified at first glance. For clarity, you need to examine several fruits of the same plant, as well as the tree itself for the presence of certain morphological signs. The size, color and thickness of the peel, the properties of the pulp, the aroma of the fruit are taken into account.What matters is the height of the tree, the thickness of the shoots, the color of the bark, the shape of the leaves, the presence of thorns, their number and size. Determining the variety of lemon by leaves is a technique that is inaccessible to a common man in the street. You need to be a botanist or professionally cultivate a crop for a long time in order to identify the varietal affiliation of citrus in this way.
Conclusion
Lemon varieties are striking in their variety - sour, sweet, unusual shapes and colors. Citrus farming is a lucrative and fun activity. Starting as a small hobby, it can turn into a lifelong favorite. Perhaps a description of the varieties of indoor lemons with photos and names will push someone to grow a crop.
The description of all varieties is very clear and accessible.