The lemon tree is a small evergreen tree that has been cultivated for centuries in the Mediterranean for its aromatic yellow fruit.
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Division | Magnoliophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Sapindales |
| Family | Rutaceae |
| Genus | Citrus |
| Species | Citrus limon |
It is a small evergreen tree, between 3 and 6 metres tall, with often thorny branches and oval, shiny dark green leaves. Its flowers, white on the inside and slightly purple on the outside, give off a very characteristic sweet scent.
Its fruit, the lemon, is an oval berry with yellow skin rich in essential oils and very acidic pulp, with a high vitamin C content.
Its exact origin is not entirely clear, although it is thought to have arisen in Asia as a hybrid between the citron and the bitter orange. It reached the Mediterranean with the Arabs and is now widely grown in the mild-climate coastal areas of Spain, especially in Murcia and the Valencian Community.
Genetic studies suggest that the lemon is in fact a natural hybrid between the citron (Citrus medica) and the bitter orange (Citrus × aurantium), probably arising in southern Asia more than a thousand years ago.
