Citrus limon

Citrus limon (L.)

Family     :Rutaceae

Common Name : ചെറുനാരങ്ങ(Mal)

  निम्बू (Hin)

                                  Lemon (Eng)

     IUCN status          :  Least concern (LC) 

Lemon is an extremely common fruit in India. The lemon has a white, fragrant flower with five petals. The mildly fragrant flowers may be solitary or there may be 2 or more clustered in the leaf axils. Buds are reddish; the opened flowers have 4 or 5 petals 3/4 in long, white on the upper surface (inside), purplish beneath (outside), and 20-40 more or less united stamens with yellow anthers. The leading acid citrus fruit, because of its very appealing color, odor and flavor. The true lemon tree reaches 10 to 20 ft (3-6 m) in height and usually has sharp thorns on the twigs. 

Small armed trees. Leaves alternate, 1-foliolate; leaflets 4-6 x 2-3 cm, ovate-lanceolate, apex obtuse, coriaceous, crenate; petiole 1 cm, winged. Flowers axillary, in clusters, cymes or solitary, white. Calyx cupular, 3-5-fid. Petals 4-8, 7 x 2.5 mm, oblong, white, glandular. Stamens 20 or more, filaments unequal, variously fused. Ovary many celled, 4-8 ovules in each cell; style 1 mm, stigma capitate. Berry globose, fleshy, rind leathery.