Lemon

I drew the lemon for its skin, which is pitted and slightly bumpy wherever an oil gland sits. Scratch it and the gland breaks, releasing a scent almost everyone knows at once. I drew the fruit cut in half as well, because the inside makes its own argument: segments arranged around the core like the panels of a clock. This lemon print gives both views on one sheet, the rough outside and the ordered inside.

In shortThe lemon, Citrus limon, is an evergreen citrus tree that began as a hybrid of citron and sour orange in Asia. In warm climates it flowers and fruits at the same time. The plate shows the pitted yellow fruit, a cut half, leaves and small flowers.

Key Facts

Why does a lemon tree flower and fruit at the same time?

A lemon tree flowers and fruits at the same time because it is an evergreen that keeps growing and cropping through the year in warm climates. Blossom, small green fruit and ripe yellow fruit can hang on one branch together. In frost-free regions a tree can carry fruit nearly all year.

The flowers are fragrant and white, up to about 5 cm across, and the buds are often tinged with purple or pink on the outside. They open from spring to summer. The leaves are glossy, dark green and oval, and they release a lemon scent when brushed or crushed. A ripe fruit can stay on the tree for months before it drops. That is why a single lemon branch can show several stages of the tree’s year at once.

Why is a lemon’s skin pitted and so fragrant?

A lemon’s skin is pitted because it is studded with oil glands. Each gland is a small reservoir of volatile oil, and it breaks open when the surface is scratched or grated, releasing the scent. Zest is the outer, coloured layer of the peel, taken for exactly this oil.

Beneath the skin lies the pith, a thick white layer that is bitter and acts as a buffer between the peel and the flesh. Inside that, the segments sit around a central core, each one bound in its own membrane and filled with juice. The acid is in the juice, not the peel. Cooks use the juice for sharpness, the zest for aroma without liquid, and the peel in liqueurs and preserves. Handling the fruit and then standing in strong sun can irritate bare skin, and the RHS advises gloves when picking lemons in the garden.

Where does the lemon come from?

The lemon is not a wild species but an ancient hybrid. University of California horticulturists describe it as a cross between a citron and a sour orange, and it arose in Asia, probably in north-eastern India. Arab traders then carried it westward, and it was growing around the Mediterranean by the early Middle Ages.

Because of that hybrid origin, lemon seedlings do not come true to type. Growers raise new trees from cuttings, layering or grafting, so every named variety is a selection kept going by hand. The studio’s article on the history of the lemon follows the fruit along the trade routes and into the kitchen.

What does a lemon tree need to grow well?

A lemon tree needs warmth, sun and protection from frost. Damage can begin when the temperature falls below about minus 2 °C (29 °F). In cooler countries it is grown in a container, kept in a conservatory or cool greenhouse in winter and moved outdoors for the summer.

A tree can take 10 to 20 years to reach full maturity, and a healthy one is a shrub or small tree of 2.5 to 4 m. The best-known varieties include Eureka and Lisbon, which are sharp and reliable, and Meyer, which is sweeter and thinner-skinned. Lemons are grown across the Mediterranean, in California and in Argentina, wherever winters are mild. Italian groves on the Amalfi coast and around Sorrento have their own local types, and under glass a potted tree can still flower and fruit.

Drawing the lemon

The plate shows a whole lemon beside a half cut open, with green leaves and small flowers around them. The whole fruit carries the textured skin, slightly bumpy and pitted instead of smooth. That is the detail a flat yellow shape leaves out, and it is the one that explains the scent.

In the cut half the segments radiate from the core, each bound in its own membrane and set inside the thick layer of pith. The leaves and small flowers show the tree behind the fruit, the plant that carries blossom and ripe fruit together. A photograph of a cut lemon often loses the membranes and the pith in glare off the wet surface. The hand-drawn digital illustration keeps the skin, pith and segments readable against the pale ground.

Where does a lemon print work on a wall?

A lemon print suits a kitchen, a bathroom, a sunroom or a dining room: any light room where yellow can be warm. It reads warmly against white, cream and terracotta, and cooler against dark green or blue. A white or pale wood frame keeps it contemporary, and a brass frame makes it more Sicilian. The plate belongs to the Mediterranean Table collection, and the Mediterranean kitchen guide shows it among other edible plants. In the photograph below, figs, lemon and chanterelle prints hang together in a kitchen with subway tile. For restaurants and hotels, the studio plans edible plants such as this one within wider hospitality projects.

Fine-art print →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the lemon a natural species or a hybrid?

It is a hybrid. The lemon is generally described as a cross between a citron and a sour orange, made in Asia long ago. Seedlings do not come true to type, so trees are raised from cuttings, layering or grafting. Eureka and Lisbon are well-known selections.

What is the difference between a Meyer lemon and a Eureka lemon?

Meyer lemons are sweeter and thinner-skinned, with a gentler acidity. Eureka and Lisbon lemons are the sharper types most people know from shops. Both are lemons in the everyday sense, and the choice depends on whether you want mild or sour juice.

How long does a lemon stay on the tree?

A ripe lemon can hang on the tree for months before it drops. Growers wait until the colour has fully developed and the skin is glossy and firm. A lemon that has turned dull, wrinkled or soft is overripe.

Why are lemons linked with sailors and scurvy?

Lemon juice contains vitamin C, and a lack of vitamin C causes scurvy, which once afflicted crews on long voyages. In the eighteenth century the British navy began issuing citrus juice on ships. The studio’s article on the fruit’s history tells the full story.

How is this print made, and how does it reach me?

There are two formats. The digital download is a high-resolution file that you print yourself, at home or at a print shop; no physical item is shipped. The fine-art print is printed to order on archival paper or canvas, framed or unframed, in sizes from small prints to over 150 cm (60 inches), and delivered to your door.