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Lemon

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Food and agriculture;
Plants

                    iLemon
   Citrus x limon
   Citrus x limon
           Scientific classification

   Kingdom:  Plantae
   Division: Magnoliophyta
   Class:    Magnoliopsida
   Subclass: Rosidae
   Order:    Sapindales
   Family:   Rutaceae
   Genus:    Citrus
   Species:  C. × limon

                                Binomial name

   Citrus × limon
   (L.) Burm.f.

   The lemon (Citrus × limon) is a hybrid citrus tree of cultivated
   origin. The fruit are used primarily for their juice, though the pulp
   and rind ( zest) are also used, primarily in cooking or mixing. Lemon
   juice is about 5% citric acid, which gives lemons a sour taste and a pH
   of 2 to 3. This acidity makes lemon juice a cheap, readily available
   acid for use in educational chemistry experiments.

Description

   A lemon tree can grow up to 6 m (20 ft), but they are usually smaller.
   The branches are thorny, and form an open crown. The leaves are green,
   shiny and elliptical-acuminate. Flowers are white on the outside with a
   violet streaked interior. On a lemon tree, flowers and ripe fruits can
   be found at the same time. Lemon fruit are ovoid with a pointed tip at
   the end. When ripe they have a bright yellow skin with a paler yellow
   segmented interior.

   There are several varieties of lemon including Eureka, Lisbon and the
   Meyer lemon, which is thought to be a hybrid.

Cultivation

   Lemons grow in tropical and sub-tropical climates and cannot withstand
   frosts and very cold temperatures. Their favoured temperature is
   between 15–30 °C (60–85 °F) and they need ample quantities of sunlight.
   They thrive in fertile, well drained soils. Lemons need plenty of water
   but should be allowed to dry out between waterings. Propagation is
   often by grafting as the stock is vulnerable to cankers and dry rot.

   Lemons are grown commercially in Spain, Portugal, Italy and other
   Mediterranean countries, Argentina, India, Brazil and the United
   States. They can be grown as plants in the garden as well as in
   containers if they are pruned to keep a small form.

History

   William-Adolphe Bouguereau Girl Holding Lemons
   Enlarge
   William-Adolphe Bouguereau Girl Holding Lemons

   The lemon is a cultivated hybrid deriving from wild species such as the
   citron and mandarin. When and where this first occurred is not known.
   The citron, apparently the fruit described in Pliny's Natural History
   (XII, vii.15) as the malum medicum — the "medicinal fruit" — seems to
   have been the first citrus fruit known in the Mediterranean world.
   Depictions of citrus trees appear in Roman mosaics of North Africa, but
   the first unequivocal description of the lemon, is found in the early
   tenth-century Arabic treatise on farming by Qustus al-Rumi. At the end
   of the twelfth century, Ibn Jami’, personal physician to the great
   Muslim leader Saladin, wrote a treatise on the lemon, after which it is
   mentioned with greater frequency in the Mediterranean. However, it is
   believed that the first lemons were originally cultivated in the hot,
   semi-arid Deccan Plateau in Central India.

   The origin of the name "lemon" is through Persian (لیمو Limu), akin to
   the Sanskrit nimbuka. They were cultivated in Genoa in the
   mid-fifteenth century, and appeared in the Azores in 1494. More recent
   research has identified lemons in the ruins of Pompeii. Lemons were
   once used by the British Royal navy to combat scurvy, as they provided
   a large amount of vitamin C.

In food preparation

   Lemons
   Enlarge
   Lemons
      Lemon, raw, without peel
   Nutritional value per 100 g
      Energy 30 kcal   120 kJ

   Carbohydrates           9 g
   - Sugars  2.5 g
   - Dietary fibre  2.8 g
   Fat                     0.3 g
   Protein                 1.1 g
   Water                   89 g
   Vitamin C  53 mg        88%
   Citric acid             5 g
   Percentages are relative to US
   recommendations for adults.

   Both lemons and limes are regularly served as lemonade or limeade, its
   equivalent, or as a garnish for drinks such as iced tea or a soft
   drink, with a slice either inside or on the rim of the glass. Only
   lemons, however, are used in the Italian liqueur Limoncello. A wedge of
   lemon is also often used to add flavor to water.

   Lemon juice is typically squeezed onto fish dishes; the acidic juice
   neutralizes the taste of amines in fish by converting them to
   nonvolatile ammonium salts.

   In addition, lemon juice is widely used, along with other ingredients,
   when marinating meat before cooking: the acid provided by the juice
   partially hydrolyzes the tough collagen fibers in the meat ( tenderize
   the meat). The juice, however, is not an effective antibiotic, as is
   commonly thought.

   Lemon juice is also sprinkled on cut fruit, such as apples, to prevent
   oxidation which would otherwise rapidly darken the fruit, making it
   less appetizing. Some people like to eat lemons as fruit, however water
   should be consumed afterwards to wash the citric acid and sugar from
   the teeth, which might otherwise promote tooth decay and many other
   dental diseases. It can be used on its own or with oranges to make
   marmalade.

   100 milliliters lemon juice contain approximately 50 milligrams of
   vitamin C and 5 grams citric acid.

   There is a belief in Ayurvedic medicine that a cup of hot water with
   lemon juice in it tonifies and purifies the liver.

Lemon battery

   A common school experiment involving lemons is to attach electrodes and
   use them as a battery to power a light. The electricity generated may
   also be used to power a motor to move the lemons (on wheels) like a car
   or truck. These experiments also work with other fruit like apples and
   with potatoes.

Lemon Alternatives

   Several other Plants have a similar taste and smell to lemons. In
   recent times, the Australian bush food Lemon myrtle has become a
   popular alternative to lemons. The crushed and dried leaves and edible
   essential oils have a strong, sweet lemon taste, but contain no citric
   acid. Lemon myrtle is popular in foods that curdle with lemon juice,
   such as cheesecakes and ice-cream. Another, Cymbopogon or lemon grass
   is popular in asian cuisine to add a lemon like flavor to food. Lemon
   balm also has a stong lemon scent.

Gallery

   Lemon fruit in bowl

                      Lemon fruit and flower

                                            Lemon Closeup

                                                            Lemons

   Pair of lemons

                      Lemon tree

                                            Lemons on a tree

                                                            Lemon flowers

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
