I have a small lemon tree rescued from a garden centre discount bin -
and I have just tried the first "lemon" from it in a G&T. I confess I
was disappointed - I was hoping for a fresh aromatic home grown lemon.

It took a couple of years to recover from its ill treatment to flower
and fruit. Like most of the UK garden centre lemon trees the "lemons"
are round, orange when ripe and with orange acidic flesh. The leaves are
larger than the mini-orange plant.

I know citrus fruit are remarkably promiscuous but does anyone know what
the plant being sold in UK garden centres as a lemon tree is? I have
seen the same thing sold as a lemon tree in plenty of places so it isn't
a mislabelling problem.

In particular is the fruit OK to eat. It tastes unlike any of the citrus
fruit I am familiar with. Nothing like a lime or lemon. Closest to a
grapefruit, or bitter orange but with other fruit acids dominant (not
tartaric and not citric) and a distinct citrus odour from the peel that
is almost like a lemon but not quite. Any ideas what it is?

Thanks for any enlightenment.

Regards,
Martin Brown

On 2009-09-14 20:05:23 +0100, Martin Brown
said:

I have a small lemon tree rescued from a garden centre discount bin -
and I have just tried the first "lemon" from it in a G&T. I confess I
was disappointed - I was hoping for a fresh aromatic home grown lemon.

It took a couple of years to recover from its ill treatment to flower
and fruit. Like most of the UK garden centre lemon trees the "lemons"
are round, orange when ripe and with orange acidic flesh. The leaves
are larger than the mini-orange plant.

I know citrus fruit are remarkably promiscuous but does anyone know
what the plant being sold in UK garden centres as a lemon tree is? I
have seen the same thing sold as a lemon tree in plenty of places so it
isn't a mislabelling problem.

In particular is the fruit OK to eat. It tastes unlike any of the
citrus fruit I am familiar with. Nothing like a lime or lemon. Closest
to a grapefruit, or bitter orange but with other fruit acids dominant
(not tartaric and not citric) and a distinct citrus odour from the peel
that is almost like a lemon but not quite. Any ideas what it is?

Thanks for any enlightenment.

Regards,
Martin Brown

I can only guess but the most common is probably Meyer's Lemon. The
flesh is orange and while it is lemon-y, it's not quite as tart as you
would expect. However, they're not orange when ripe as to the skin.
Are you quite sure it's a lemon?


--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-09-14 20:05:23 +0100, Martin Brown
said:

I have a small lemon tree rescued from a garden centre discount bin -
and I have just tried the first "lemon" from it in a G&T. I confess I
was disappointed - I was hoping for a fresh aromatic home grown lemon.

It took a couple of years to recover from its ill treatment to flower
and fruit. Like most of the UK garden centre lemon trees the "lemons"
are round, orange when ripe and with orange acidic flesh. The leaves
are larger than the mini-orange plant.

I know citrus fruit are remarkably promiscuous but does anyone know
what the plant being sold in UK garden centres as a lemon tree is? I
have seen the same thing sold as a lemon tree in plenty of places so
it isn't a mislabelling problem.

In particular is the fruit OK to eat. It tastes unlike any of the
citrus fruit I am familiar with. Nothing like a lime or lemon. Closest
to a grapefruit, or bitter orange but with other fruit acids dominant
(not tartaric and not citric) and a distinct citrus odour from the
peel that is almost like a lemon but not quite. Any ideas what it is?

Thanks for any enlightenment.

Regards,
Martin Brown

I can only guess but the most common is probably Meyer's Lemon. The
flesh is orange and while it is lemon-y, it's not quite as tart as you
would expect. However, they're not orange when ripe as to the skin.

I could be persuaded to split the difference and call it a very dark
yellow, but it is nothing like clear lemon yellow of the subtropical
fruit. To me it seems to be more like a bitter orange.

Are you quite sure it's a lemon?

That's what it said on the label, and I can see plenty of very similar
ones in fruit now at local GCs also labelled "lemon". Their ripe fruit
go very dark yellow with orange flesh. The fruit is also slightly oblate
rather than lemon shaped.

Regards,
Martin Brown

On Sep 14, 8:05*pm, Martin Brown
wrote:

I have a small lemon tree rescued from a garden centre discount bin -
and I have just tried the first "lemon" from it in a G&T. I confess I
was disappointed - I was hoping for a fresh aromatic home grown lemon.
is almost like a lemon but not quite. Any ideas what it is?

Thanks for any enlightenment.

Buddha Moghouse he say your solution is more G and less T.
Enlightenment will come my son.

"Martin Brown" wrote ...
I have a small lemon tree rescued from a garden centre discount bin - and I
have just tried the first "lemon" from it in a G&T. I confess I was
disappointed - I was hoping for a fresh aromatic home grown lemon.

It took a couple of years to recover from its ill treatment to flower and
fruit. Like most of the UK garden centre lemon trees the "lemons" are
round, orange when ripe and with orange acidic flesh. The leaves are
larger than the mini-orange plant.

I know citrus fruit are remarkably promiscuous but does anyone know what
the plant being sold in UK garden centres as a lemon tree is? I have seen
the same thing sold as a lemon tree in plenty of places so it isn't a
mislabelling problem.

In particular is the fruit OK to eat. It tastes unlike any of the citrus
fruit I am familiar with. Nothing like a lime or lemon. Closest to a
grapefruit, or bitter orange but with other fruit acids dominant (not
tartaric and not citric) and a distinct citrus odour from the peel that is
almost like a lemon but not quite. Any ideas what it is?

Sounds like a "Meyer" Lemon which is believed to be a cross between the
Citrus limon (Lemon) and C. sinensis (Orange) with smaller, more orange
like fruit than the true lemon on more compact plants. Can take a bit more
cold than the true lemon. It originated in China and was taken to the USA by
Meyer in early 1900s, hence the name.

We have two true lemons outside against a S. facing wall ATM and they
produce good juicy fruit which we use in various ways, Limoncello being one.
:-)
For some reason this year has not been that good a season for any of our
citrus, fruit wise, except for our Orange which is covered in fruit in
various stages of growth.
--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London

Could it possibly be a "Key Lime"? I've found them all over the Caribbean, and their fruit is more oblate than round, but very sour.