&ALLESICT8 TREATISE ON THE CITRUS FAMILY 



Its flower has a smaller corolla than that of ' 

 the ordinary lemon and citron, and is shaded out- I 

 side by a brighter red. Its fruit, of the size of an i 

 ordinary lemon, is covered with warts or tuber- \ 

 cities; it is flattened on the end next the stalk, i 

 and pointed at the other end. The rind is thin, 

 of a clear yellow, and full of a delicious aroma. 

 The inner-skin is thick, white, and very delicate, 

 having a pleasant taste, and may be made into ' 

 delicious confections. The pulp, enclosed in 

 nine very thin sections, is greenish and acid. 

 This variety, which appears to be a hybrid of the 

 lemon, is highly esteemed. It will not endure 

 cold, and is cultivated but little in Liguria, 

 though freely distributed through Tuscany. I 

 have never seen it multiplied but by grafting. 



AHT. II. Of the Lemon Tree. 



Citrus medica limon florc polyandrio, eoepe agynio, co- 

 rolla intus alba, exterius rubea, folio in summa teneritate 

 violaceo, petiolo articulate, fructu flavo, obovato, cortici 

 tenui, medulla ampla, grate acida. 



The limonier (or lemon tree) is a species rich in 

 varieties, and still richer in hybrids. The type 

 is an oblong fruit, of which the rind is glossy 

 and yellowish ; thin, and full of a caustic aroma ; 

 the inner skin, nearly useless, is white, leathery, 

 and very adherent to the peUcvle or thin skin 

 which covers the sections. Its pulp is a yellow- 

 ish white, abundant, and encloses a quantity of j 

 acid juice, agreeable and aromatic. It is this' 

 which makes the value of the fruit, It being use- 

 ful in cookery and iu the making of drinks. 



This type is most often reproduced from seed, 

 though it is very frequently modified by fertili- 

 zation, and the result is an innumerable crowd 

 of varieties, which are mingled and confounded 

 with the hybrids of the citron and the orange. 

 In proportion as the skin thickens, the Iem7>n 

 removes itself from its type and approaches the 

 citron. I do not, however, establish upon this 

 fact the principle that all lemons whose fruit 

 lias fleshy skin must be hybrids, for this pecu- 

 liarity may reach a certain point independently of 

 the influence of the citron ; and there are lemons 

 whose skin is thicker than the type, and yet they 

 have not the slightest indication of the citron. 

 These are varieties due to accidents of fecundation. 

 The Lemon tree attaches itself also to the bigar- 

 ade and sweet orange trees by a very great num- 

 ber of hybrids, which form the numerous class 

 of limes. On this side, however, the line of divis- 

 ion is more marked, and it is difficult to confound 

 the mixed species with the varieties. 



We will commence by a description of the type, 

 choosing afterwards those varieties sufficiently 

 marked to show their difference with their model. 

 We will then speak of the hybrids which attach 

 themselves to the citron tree, called poncires, and 

 finally of those attached to the orange tree, called 

 lumies. 



To reduce them to their natural order we must 

 place in the centre the type or model, which 

 leans, on the one side, towards the citron, on the 

 other, towards the orange. In passing, we take 

 up, first, all varieties which may be remarkable ; 

 afterwards, the hybrids, which, like a chain , tie all 

 these races together. 



Turning towards the citron tree I find a large 

 number of lemon trees Whoso fruit has thick, 



uneven skin, nearly always oblong, and differing 

 among themselves"only in size. Of these I sec 

 but three varieties: 'First, the lemon, of semi- 

 double flower, whose fruit is regularly indiffer- 

 ent ; second, the lemon, of sour juice ; and third, 

 the lemon of sweet juice. Their sub-varieties 

 being innumerable, I pass them by in silence. 

 Passing on from the varieties I come to ihe hybrids 

 of the citron. 



I recognize but two races among them, of 

 which each has sub- varieties, distinguished 

 only by the size of fruit, and by insignificant 

 changes of form. The first of these hybrids is 

 the lemon-citron, with oblong, tuberculous fruit, 

 called poncirc, a fruit ordinaire. The second is 

 the lemon-citron, having egg-shaped, smooth- 

 skinned fruit, called pondre, a fruit fin. The 

 most remarkable variety of this is the Pomme dc 

 Paradis (Paradise-apple). 



Starting again from the original type I meet 

 varieties which improve upon the principal spe- 

 cies by the delicacy and odor of the skin, and by 

 the abundance and aroma of the juice. They all 

 have fruit nearly round. The first is the limonier 

 a fruit Jin, or lustrato, of Home. The second 

 is the limonier liyurien, or bugnetta. The third 

 is the limonier a petit fruit, or balotio, of Spain. 



I come finally to the hybrids of the orange, 

 which are so numerous that it is impossible to 

 follow them into all their modifications. I shall, 

 therefore, divide them into two classes, hybrids 

 of the bigarade, and hybrids of the sweet orange. 

 At the head of the first I place the bergamot 

 lime, and lime of Naples. I put at the head of 

 the second the sweet lime, or the orange-colored 

 lemon of sweet juice. All other races of this 

 nature are but modifications of these. 



Thus is shown the entire ramifications of the 

 limonier, or lemon tree. Having closely exam- 

 ined the crowd of varieties spoken of b} r Fer- 

 raris and Yolcamerius, and by many other wri- 

 ters, I find them all in those I have named; 

 therefore I think it useless to make isolated de- 

 scriptions, as they would be but a repetition, 

 under different names, of the same objects, diver- 

 sified sometimes by slight accidents unworthy of 

 note. 



VAKIET1ES .NO. VIII. 



Citrus medica limon frtu-tu ovatu, cni>^>, H ^mtr- nri<l<>. 



Limonier de Genrs. 



Lirnone Gennvesc. 



Limon Ligurise ceriascus. ( Kn . ) 



Limon vnlgarie. (Tournef. Hist. KJ. lin-b.t 



Mains limonia acida. (G. B. Pin.) 



Limonia mains. (.1. Bauh.) 



Limon vulgarls: Witte limocn. (Comirietyn. llos)>. 



Limon vnlgaris: Limon vol^aiv. (Yok-.i 

 Citrus medica ucida: Citronicr ai^rc. (De-font. Tab. <] 

 1'Ecolc de Bot.'i 



The lemon of Genoa is a vigorous tree, which 

 will also extend itself en, espalier (on a trellis), 

 and bears an abundance of fruit. Its trunk, 

 branches, leaf, and flower are like other lemons. 

 It has no thorns, and blossoms continuously 

 from spring till fall. The fruit, usually egg- 

 shaped, has a skin a little thick sometimes 

 smooth, sometimes uneven and an abundance 

 of sharp, acid juice. It is very generally culti- 

 vated upon the coast of Liguria, from Spez/ia to 

 Hyeres. It is the fruit of commerce by reason of 

 its thick skin protecting it in its transit. It is 

 multiplied by graft, but may be raised from seed. 



