Many types of lemons are available to meet your garden’s special requirements. From the one with a thick rind to another with an unusual sweet taste, you always have a good choice.
Well-known for their tangy and refreshing sour taste, lemons can also make a great addition to any cuisine.
You can find a lot of dishes and beverages that include various types of lemons as the ingredients, so growing on in the garden should never go wrong.
What Is Lemons and Its Difference to Other Citrus Fruits
Having the botanical name ‘Citrus limon’, lemons are native to South Asia and are now famous throughout the world.
The juice of lemons has a high amount of Vitamin C while the yellow peel typically comes with lemon oil.
Compared to other citrus fruits especially limes, lemons are less sour but have a more bitter taste.
What Are the Different Types of Lemons?
Although being popular for their acidic, sour flavor, some varieties of lemons are sweeter than the others.
While there are the “true” lemons, you can also find hybrid types that are a combination of two citrus fruits.
Learn further about the different types of lemons along with their pictures as listed below.
1. types of Bearss Lemons
Although many people believe that Bearss lemon is native to Italy, this variety is mostly grown in Florida since the 1950s.
Similar to Avalon, Bearss looks like Lisbon. This is the common lemon that you usually find today.
Thanks to its popularity, many people are willing to cultivate these types of lemons in their garden.
Furthermore, Bearss is typically rich in lemon oil and comes with high-quality fruits.
This is among the types of lemons that can grow without any companies to produce fruits. Moreover, people also pick Bearss because of the peel.
2. Avalon Lemon
Originally from Florida, this variety is close to the Lisbon lemon. Both of them are fruits you can easily encounter in the market.
3. Bush Lemon
Also known as rough lemon, the Bush variety has very solid and thick skin. The rind also comes with a highly pungent taste.
These types of lemons are seed-seedling, so their seeds will fall to the ground and turn into new plants in the upcoming season.
Since Bush lemons don’t generate much juice, you can use them to graft other varieties or as a rootstock.
4. Buddha’s Hand Lemon
As known as Finger Citron Lemon, this variety has an extraordinary appearance that does not resemble its standard shape.
The Buddha’s Hand Lemon appears like fingers and serves a very fragrant aroma. In China, people consider it as a symbol of good fortune and happiness.
Chinese also use these types of lemons as offering in their temple.
5. Dorshapo Lemon
Similar to the Eureka, gardeners started to grow Dorshapo lemon in the 1900s.
Unlike the regular lemon varieties, they are not acidic, so you can expect a sweet flavor when tasting these fruits.
Indeed, the name Dorshopo itself refers to three different people who grow it for the first time including Dorsett, Shamel, and Popenoe.
6. Citron Lemon
Similar to Bush lemon, this variety produces less juice. Hence, people tend to take advantage of its rind rather than the pulp.
Citron lemon can reach up to 10 pounds and is available in some different varieties including the acidic as well as the non-acidic pulps.
Moreover, you can also find pulp-free varieties like Yemenite. Generally, these types of lemons are the most popular in the medical field.
You can use this Citron lemon with honey to relieve poison. Besides, it can help with gastrointestinal upsets and pulmonary diseases.
Additionally, some people find Citron lemon effective on motion as well as seasickness.
7. Eureka Lemon
You can find Eureka lemons easily as this variety grows nearly all around the world, but Spain, Italy, and the Mediterranean countries.
In terms of shape, this variety appears like the Lisbon Lemon. However, it still has such a remarkable dissimilarity between the Eureka and the others.
Eureka lemons come with a nipple and they do not generate any thorns. Since the tree can produce fruits all year round, many growers like them better than others.
8. Greek Citron Lemon
Coming from the Ionian Islands, people tend to use these types of lemons to practice many rituals since many years ago.
This lemon also has another name like the Corfu Etrog and is often utilized in the Greek Temple for ritual purposes.
9. Fino Citron Lemon
If you are looking for acidic types of lemons that taste great, the Fino Citron makes a good option. Besides, this variety will produce fruits twice a year.
However, the Finto Citron is not very popular among growers since this lemon comes with a high volume of seeds within its fruits.
Moreover, this closest variety to the Verna Lemon is small and does not contain much juice. The tree also has a lot of thorns, making it pretty hard to pick off.
10. Lisbon Lemon
The Lisbon lemon features a similar nipple to the Eureka. This variety is highly acidic and does not come with lots of seeds within it.
Growing well in cooler climates, the Lisbon lemon has a medium thickness rind. Similar to the Fino Citron, this variety also produces twice a year and has thorns on the tree.
Aside from Florida stores or produce stands, you may find it difficult to come across the Lisbon lemon.
11. Baboon Lemon
Lemon plants that produce this Baboon variety can reach 8 to 10 feet in height and are endemic to Brazil.
Baboon lemons come with yellow skin and have a sour taste like lime. People typically use their pulp as well as rind to make some sauces including pasta and barbeque.
12. Organic Lemon
If you want to take advantage of the peelings, juices, and rinds, Organic Lemon is the best choice since there is no need to worry about the use of pesticides or chemicals.
Many people prefer to use these types of lemons considering that they are a better health choice in general.
In addition to the health benefits, the growth of Organic lemons can also increase the soil and is advantageous to the environment in a lot of ways.
13. Meyer Lemon
Growing as a mix of lemon and sweet orange, the Meyer variety indicates the color of the two fruits and is slightly acidic.
The Meyer lemon is juicy and sweet. The tree generates fruits all year round, making it popular among many chefs.
You need to pick these types of lemons when they are completely ripe and use them to make various dishes.
Other than its homegrown in California, the Meyer lemon also grows in other areas like Florida and Texas.
14. Ponderosa Lemon
Many people believe that this variety is a cross between a lemon and a citron. It has thick, rigid skin with a citrus taste.
Different from most varieties, Ponderosa lemon will not grow well in cooler environments.
Ponderosa lemon itself is named after a western pine tree and a variety that grows from this cultivar is typically very big.
15. Verna Lemon
With a chunky rind and fewer seeds, Verna Lemons are an acidic variety that offers plenty of juice. The tree typically bears fruits two times, but if you are lucky it may produce thrice a year.
16. Lemonade Lemon
These types of lemons are very juicy and discharge a pungent aroma. They are a type of sweet lemon that does not own the powerful sourness as others.
The Lemonade itself is a hybrid variety between a mandarin and lemon tree. You can expect it to grow up to 8.2 feet with plenty of produces each harvesting time.
17. Femminello Ovale Lemon
Native to Italy, this lemon variety is particularly famous in its home country. Femminello has an oval shape with a rounded underside.
Meanwhile, the rind of the Femminello is slightly thick and pretty smooth. Compared to Lisbon or Eureka, this lemon variety is larger.
18. Genoa Lemon
This is another one of the Italian types of lemons you can grow in California and other areas. Like the Eureka variety, it has a square shape with a protruding underneath.
Genoa lemon is an acidic, juicy fruit plant that enjoys cold-hardy environments and grows as a small luxuriant tree with a lot of thorns.
19. Villafranca Lemon
These types of lemon fruit are pretty similar to the Eureka when it comes to shape and size. They also offer a high amount of Vitamin C and plenty of oil as many others.
Furthermore, Villafranca lemons are a popular variety to grow in Florida, Argentina, and Israel.
20. Limetta Lemon
Originally from Southeast Asia, these types of lemons are a sweet variety that does not taste acidic at all.
The tree of Limetta variety can grow up to 26 feet and will produce fruits that are rich in lemon oil.
21. Volkamer Lemon
Small and round in shape, Volkamer lemons are a hybrid variety that combines a sour orange and a lemon. As a result, Volkamer cultivars have a low acidic content compared to others.
22. Primofiori Lemon
If you are interested in Spanish varieties of lemons, Primofiori is the one that offers a soft, thin rind and bold yellow skin.
Likewise, Primofiori lemons serve high juice content despite their small sizes.
In short, either more sour or sweeter, different types of lemons allow you to pick the one that suits your preference.
What is the best type of lemon?
Meyer is the best kind of lemon to use in a dish because they are sweeter than lemons that are bred for size. Because they are sweeter, they take less juice to prepare them in recipes. They are also less acidic than other types of lemons, which makes them a better fit in dishes such as mayonnaise.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the best thing about lemons is that you can use them for so many things in your life, whether that’s cooking or cleaning your home, or even making the best lemonade. You can choose the types of lemon based on what you need.