PLANT LIBRARY
Lemon tree
Cultivated for more than 5000 years, lemon tree is originating from India and China, where it was quickly exporter to America and in most of countries of the Mediterranean Basin. In the middle Ages, lemon was prescribed in case of fever or to prevent from many diseases (specifically scurvy). Women used it also in a beauty ritual; they were using it on their lips to pump blood and make them appear redder, as a natural lipstick.
Lemon tree is a small bush, from 3 to 6 meters high, appreciating cold and well-drained soils, as well as a large exposition to the sun. Irregularly branched, the color of its bark vary from light grey (at the trunk level) and green (young shoots). Its large light green leaves are ovals. Solitary flowers are composed by 5 petals white to purplish. The fruit, lemon, is an oblong and pointed berry, from 8 to 12 centimeters long. It has a thick bark, extremely odorous, and colored at first green and becoming yellow at maturity. It also contains a yellow and acid pulp.
Nowadays, lemon is used for food and also for therapeutic matters for its antiseptic properties and its beneficial action on digestion. In cosmetics, its high content in vitamin C contributes to its toning activity for the skin. It’s also known for its exfoliating (thanks to citric acid) and purifying effect.