Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

98. Limdn de cabro, lemon
RUE FAMILY (RUTACEAE)
Lemon is separated from the other kinds of
citrus fruits by: (1) the very sour yellow elliptic
fruit 2g-4 inches long and 11h-3% inches in diameter,
blunt-pointed or tubercled at both ends,
and the surface often rougll and wrinkled; (2)
flowers 1%-2 inches broad with 4 or 5 \vllitisll
petals purplish tinged on outside; and (3) leaves
with apex pointed and with almost wingless
petiole.
A small aromatic evergreen tree attaining 10-20
feet in height and 4 inches in trunk diameter or
larger, the trunk slightly angled, with long irregular
spreading branches. The bark is brown or
gray and smooth to finely fissured, the light brolrn
inner bark slightly bitter. The green twigs usually
have a short stout spine at base of leaf.
The alternate leaves have petioles 1/4-1/2 inch
long, jointed with blade. Blades are oblong to
elliptic, 21/2-4h inches long and lj/4-2% inches
wide, short- to long-pointed at apex and rounded.
at base, with many minute rounded teeth at edges,
thick and leathery, and wit11 numerous gland dots.
The upper surface is green or dark green and
slightly shiny, and the lower surface dull light
green. Young la~ves are ~tddish.
Flolvers are single, paired, or few at base of a
leaf, slightly fragrant, some bisexual and some
male, the buds reddish or purplish tinged. There
is a cuplike 4-5-toothed light green and purplish
calyx about 1/4 incll high and broad ; 4 or 5 slightly
fleshy, gland-dotted petals inch long, and
curved back on the outer side; 20-40 stamens 5/8
inch long with fleshy white filaments slightly
united at base and wit11 yellow clnthers; and.pist11
on b,ml disk with 7-ll-celled ovary taper~ng to
the stout skyle.
The fru~t (berry or hesperidium) has a thick
peeling %-s/g inch thick and very sour, pale yellow-ish
flesh. The elliptic whit~sh seeds about
3/8 inch long are pointed at 1 end. Flo\.r.ering
Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.*
in spring and with fruit in summer and fall.
Tlie mood is light brown a~ld hard.
The juice is made into lemonade drinks, sweetened
with sugar and serves to senson foods. The
fruit is more genernlly consumed in the United
States than in Latin America. In home medicines
the juice is antiseptic and arrests bleeding, a decoct~on
produces sweating,. and the root has been
employed also. The lime juice of the old sailing
vessels, a preventative of scurvy, came partly from
this species. l~mon oil, from the fruit peel, is official
In the U~lited States Pharmacopoeia as a
flnvoring agent. A honey plant.
Formerly planted as a fruit tree and naturalized
in Puerto Rico, chiefly in the lower mountain and
moist limestone forest regions. Also in the Virgin
Islands.
PUBLIC ~o~~s~s.-C!arite, Luquillo, Maricao,
Rio hbajo, Toso Negro.
Rdi~c~.-Perhnps from southeastern hia, the
origin uncertain and perhaps relatively recent,
possibly hybrid. Now widely cultivated and naturalized
in tropical and subtropical regions. Bermltda,
West Indies and from southern Florida
nncl soutllern ~alijornia and Mexico to South
America. It is reported that this species was first
intaroducecl into the New World at EIispaniola by
Columbus in 1493.
OTIIER COBfBfON NAJKES.-~~~~~ (Spanish) ;
li1n6n agrio (Dominican Republic, Mexico) ; lim6n
frands, cidm (Cuba ; limonem (Mexico, Colombia)
; li~niin real ( d entral America, Ecuador) ;
lim6n comGn (Nicaragua) ; lim6n criollo, lim6n
frnnc6s (Venezuela) ; lemon (United States, English)
; limon (French) ; citronnier, limon france
(Haiti) ; lamoentsj i, lamunchi dushi (Dutcll West
Indies).
BOTANICAL SPXONYB~.-CZ'~~W lintonurn Risso.
Formerly referred also to Citrus lirnonia Osbeck,
Canton lemon, which is a different Chinese hybrid.