Japanese name: レモン（檸檬） Scientific name:Citrus limon
[Overview]
An evergreen small tree presumed to have arisen from a cross between citron and lime.
It grows 2–7 m tall and has thick, short, hard thorns on the branches.
The alternate leaves look simple, but they are degenerated compound leaves; the blade is lanceolate with short wings.
Flowers bloom in May–June and are usually borne in racemes.
The buds are reddish; when open, the flowers are white, though sometimes tinged with purple.
Many stamens are fused up to the middle of the filaments, forming a staminal tube.
The fruit is ovoid, 7–15 cm long, with a nipple-like tip; it ripens yellow and is harvested in October–December.
[Uses]
The juice has a refreshing aroma along with its sourness, and is widely used, for example served with meat and fish dishes and as an additive in soft drinks.
[Cultivation]
It has weak cold tolerance and requires an annual mean temperature of 16°C or higher and winter lows of -3°C or higher.
Care is also needed against high humidity in summer.
It is a food plant of swallowtail butterflies.
