The Lemon. 187 



absolute, Dr. Brandis in the Forest Flora of Central and 

 North-western India. The last-named is the district to 

 which this fruit seems indigenous, wild lemon-trees, in 

 many varieties, occurring upon the mountains to the 

 height above the sea-level of four thousand feet. The 

 stature rather exceeds that of the citron, but the habit of 

 growth is similar, the branches springing from near the 

 ground, and spreading irregularly. The leaves are ovate 

 and pointed ; the petioles are wingless j the violet-tinged 

 white flowers are produced singly, or occasionally in twos 

 or threes ; the fragrance they evolve is similar to that of 

 the orange, but more delicate and not so clinging ; the 

 fruit is specially characterized by the large nipple. 



When brought from India to Europe is not known. 

 Not the slightest allusion to the lemon occurs in the 

 literature of antiquity, nor is there any certain mention 

 of it till towards the close of the fifteenth century. 

 Being sour it may reasonably be conjectured that this 

 fruit would receive less attention than the citron and 

 orange, though some think that the conveyance westwards 

 was contemporaneous with that of the C. vulgaris. If so, 

 the commerce of the time of Antonio's " argosies " would 

 probably be the means of introducing it into Italy, some 

 time during the early middle ages. When first seen in 

 England cannot be told. Gerard, temp. Elizabeth, speaks 

 of the fruit as something quite familiar, saying "in the 

 shops, limones." 



As a cultivated plant the lemon is now met with 

 throughout the countries bordering on the Mediter- 



