Editing Meyer lemon

{{short description|Citrus fruit}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2022}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Meyer Lemon.jpg
|genus = Citrus
|species = × meyeri
|authority = Yu.Tanaka
}}

'''''Citrus'' × ''meyeri''''',  the '''Meyer lemon''' ({{zh|c=梅爾檸檬|p=méiěr níngméng}}),<ref>{{Cite web|title=帶有柑橘甜味與花香，梅爾檸檬是什麼？跟一般檸檬差在哪？ | url = https://nommagazine.com/%E5%B8%B6%E6%9C%89%E6%9F%91%E6%A9%98%E7%94%9C%E5%91%B3%E8%88%87%E8%8A%B1%E9%A6%99%EF%BC%8C%E6%A2%85%E7%88%BE%E6%AA%B8%E6%AA%AC%E6%98%AF%E4%BB%80%E9%BA%BC%EF%BC%9F%E8%B7%9F%E4%B8%80%E8%88%AC%E6%AA%B8/|website=NOM Magazine|date=2017-09-12}}</ref> is a hybrid [[citrus]] fruit native to [[China]]. It is a cross between a [[citron]] and a [[mandarin orange|mandarin]]/[[pomelo]] hybrid.<ref name="limes and lemons">{{cite journal | title=Phylogenetic origin of limes and lemons revealed by cytoplasmic and nuclear markers | last1=Curk | first1=Franck | last2=Ollitrault | first2= Frédérique | last3=Garcia-Lor | first3= Andres | last4=Luro | first4=François | last5=Navarro | first5=Luis | last6=Ollitrault | first6=Patrick | journal=Annals of Botany | volume=11 | issue=4 | pages=565–583 | year=2016 | doi=10.1093/aob/mcw005 | pmid=26944784 | pmc=4817432 }}</ref> 

Mature trees are around {{convert|6|to|10|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} tall with dark green shiny leaves. The flowers are white with a purple base and are fragrant. The fruit is rounder than a [[lemon|true lemon]], deep yellow with a slight orange tint when ripe, and has a sweeter, less acidic flavor. The lemons contain a highly acidic pH of between 2 and 3. This acidity level allows for these lemons to be used as antibacterial and antiseptic cleaners.

It was introduced to the United States in 1908 as S.P.I. #23028<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/lemon.html |title=Lemon |publisher=Hort.purdue.edu |accessdate=2014-06-09}}</ref> by the agricultural explorer [[Frank Nicholas Meyer]], an employee of the [[United States Department of Agriculture]] who collected a sample of the plant on a trip to China.<ref name="npr">{{cite news |title= The Meyer Lemon: More Than A Pretty Face | first= Julie |last= O'Hara |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100778147&ft=1&f=1053|work=[[National Public Radio]] |date=18 February 2009 |accessdate=2009-02-20 }}</ref> Though it is given his name, this variety was likely established thousands of years before he introduced it to America.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Man, A Plan, A lemon, China|url=https://www.tastecooking.com/a-man-a-plan-a-lemon-china/#:~:text=D.%2C%20curator%20of%20the%20Citrus,years%20before%20Meyer%20discovered%20it.|website=Taste Cooking|date = 5 March 2018}}</ref>  

The Meyer lemon is commonly grown in China in [[flower pot|garden pot]]s as an [[ornamental tree]]. It became popular as a food item in the United States after being rediscovered by chefs such as [[Alice Waters]] at [[Chez Panisse]] during the rise of [[California cuisine]] starting in the 1970s.<ref>{{cite news |first=Patricia |last=Lowry | title=When life hands you Meyer lemons, life is sweet |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09043/948477-34.stm |work= [[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |location=Pittsburgh |date=February 12, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/ark_product_detail/meyer_lemon_of_californias_central_coast/ |title=Domestic Programs |publisher=Slow Food USA |accessdate=2014-06-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121124232942/http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/ark_product_detail/meyer_lemon_of_californias_central_coast/ |archive-date=2012-11-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Popularity further climbed when [[Martha Stewart]] began featuring them in some of her recipes.<ref name="npr" />

== Description ==
[[Image:MeyerLemon.jpg|thumb|left|An unripened Meyer lemon]]
''Citrus'' × ''meyeri'' trees are around {{convert|6|to|10|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} tall at maturity, though they can be [[pruning|pruned]] smaller. Their leaves are dark green and shiny. The flowers are white with a purple base and are fragrant.<ref name=Floridata>{{cite web |last1=Christman |first1=Steve |title=1067 Citrus meyeri |url=https://floridata.com/Plants/Rutaceae/Citrus+meyeri/1067 |publisher=Floridata |accessdate=3 August 2018 | date=10 February 2018}}</ref>

The Meyer lemon fruit is yellow and rounder than a true lemon.<ref name=Floridata/> The skin is fragrant and thin, colored a deep yellow with a slight orange tint when ripe. Meyer lemon fruits have a sweeter, less acidic flavor than the more common Lisbon or Eureka supermarket [[lemon]] varieties.<ref name=Floridata/> The pulp is a dark yellow and contains up to 10 seeds per fruit.
[[Image:Meyer Lemon hanging.jpg|thumb|Meyer lemon approaching ripeness]]

== Cultivation ==
The Meyer lemon is popular as an ornamental plant for its compact size, hardiness, and productivity. It is decorative and suitable for [[container garden|container growing]]. It is one of the sweetest lemons and even the skin is edible.<ref name="thespruce.com">{{Cite web|title=Learn How to Grow a Beautiful Meyer Lemon Tree in a Pot|url=https://www.thespruce.com/growing-meyer-lemon-trees-in-pots-848166|website=The Spruce|language=en|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref> Growing a Meyer lemon tree can either be done in a pot or straight from the ground, but the plant requires plenty of sunlight. However, too much sunlight is possible and can burn the plant if exposed for long periods. This is why summer sun, morning sunlight, and some afternoon shade are ideal for taking the best care of the lemon tree.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Meyer Lemon Tree Care – Learn About Growing Meyer Lemons|url=https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/lemons/growing-meyer-lemons.htm|website=Gardening Know How|language=en|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref> The tree is reasonably [[Hardiness (plants)|hardy]] and grows well in warm climates. It is fairly vigorous, with a plant grown from a young graft usually beginning to fruit in four years, yielding thousands of lemons over its lifetime.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} These plants require an adequate amount of water but well-drained soil is crucial. However, allowing the soil to dry out slightly between watering keeps the plant moist enough, but not too moist or dry.<ref name="thespruce.com"/> Along with watering and sunlight, Meyer lemon trees need high nitrogen fertilizer that is slow-releasing. These plants should only be given fertilizer within the growing season (spring-fall) and never in the winter unless the leaves are yellowing; then, they should be given water and fertilizer.<ref name="Lemon Tree">{{Cite journal|title=Lemon Tree|doi=10.31096/wua121-nos_461}}</ref> While fruit is produced throughout the year, the majority of the crop is harvest-ready in winter.<ref name="ucr">{{cite web| url= http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/improvedmeyer.html |title=Citrus Variety Collection: Improved Meyer |publisher=University of California Riverside |date=2002-05-28 |accessdate=2014-06-09}}</ref> Trees require adequate water, but less in the winter. For maximum [[Crop yield|yield]], they should be [[Fertilizer|fertilized]] during growing periods.
New branches are thorny to protect the young shoots, but the thorns transform into secondary branches with age. Pruning plays a very important role in growing the most successful tree; this keeps the plant in shape and avoids unnecessary overcrowding plants to leave room for the lemons. It allows the plant to receive the proper airflow, which enhances the plant to grow strong and well while also preventing the plant from any potential diseases.<ref name="Lemon Tree"/>.{{-}}

== Culinary uses ==
The Meyer lemon is sweeter than other lemons with only a slight tartness, and is said to taste a bit like a tangerine, or a navel orange.<ref name="All About Lemons">{{Cite web|title=All About Lemons|url=https://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--940/all-about-lemons.asp|website=RecipeTips.com|access-date=2023-01-05}}</ref>  It is used often to season fish and seafood.<ref name="All About Lemons"/>
[[Image:Improved Meyer Lemon Early Flower.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Closeup of 'Improved Meyer Lemon' flower]]
== Improved Meyer ==
By the mid-1940s, the Meyer lemon had grown widely in [[California]]. However, at that time, it was discovered that most of the Meyer lemon trees being cloned were symptomless carriers of the [[Citrus tristeza virus]], which had killed millions of citrus trees all over the world and rendered other millions useless for production.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=Richard F. |title=Chapter Five – Control of Virus Diseases of Citrus |journal=Advances in Virus Research |date=2015 |volume=92 |pages=143–173 |doi=10.1016/bs.aivir.2014.10.002|pmid=25591879 }}</ref> After this finding, most of the Meyer lemon trees in the United States were destroyed to save other citrus trees.

A virus-free selection was found in the 1950s<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/solver/meyer.html|title=Four Winds Growers: Meyer Lemon Origins|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101005122406/http://fourwindsgrowers.com/solver/meyer.html|archive-date=5 Oct 2010|url-status=dead|website=FourWindsGrowers.com}}</ref> and was certified and released in 1975 by the [[University of California]] as the 'Improved Meyer lemon' – ''Citrus'' × ''meyeri'' 'Improved'.<ref>{{cite web| first= Sophia |last= Markoulakis | title= Meyer Lemon Sweet Enough To Squeeze| page= 6| url=http://ceamador.ucdavis.edu/newsletterfiles/Master_Gardener_News6935.pdf | publisher= University of California Cooperative Extension | work= Master Gardener News – Amador County | date=May 2005 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060307052405/http://ceamador.ucdavis.edu/newsletterfiles/Master_Gardener_News6935.pdf | archive-date= 7 March 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Walter |last=Reuther |author2=Leon Dexter Batchelor |author3=E. Clair Calavan |author4=Herbert John Webber |author5=Glenn E. Carman |author6=Robert G Platt  |title= Citrus Industry: Crop Protection |publisher= [[University of California]] |year= 1989 |isbn= 978-0931876240 |page=195 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bzv8n96-A10C&pg=PA195 }}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Citrus Meyeri group}}
* [https://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?314299 ''Citrus'' × ''meyeri'' information and links from NPGS/GRIN]
* [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/lemon.html Fruits of warm climates]
* [http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-meyerlemons16jan16,1,7792191.story 100 things to do with a Meyer lemon]
* {{National Public Radio|100778147}}

{{citrus}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q2401979}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer Lemon}}
[[Category:Lemons]]
[[Category:Citrus hybrids]]
[[Category:Flora of China]]
[[Category:Fruits originating in East Asia]]
[[Category:Garden plants of Asia]]
[[Category:Ornamental trees]]
[[Category:Ark of Taste foods]]