Fine lemon

The most extended lemon tree varieties in Spain are, by order of importance, Verna and Fine Lemon, although american varieties such as Eureka and Lisbon still remain. Their properties and production are conditioned by the following circumstances.

Traditionally, the Fine Lemon tree has been raised in the meadow lands, being the Verna the one which has occupied the hillsides of the mountains that limit the meadows and the lands newly transformed.

During the last two years it has been noticed, in most of the productive areas, a notable increase in the cultivation of Fine lemon tree in comparison to the Verna variety, caused probably by the fact that it offers less problems, a more secure production and better prices in the market.

Botanical characteristics

• Bigger leaves than the Verna lemon lemon tree. Prone to production of strong sprouts with robust spines.
• Spheroidal or ovoid fruit, with small and sharp peduncle, thin skin and pale yellow color.
• Tree of medium to great appearance, vigorous and prolific.

Commercial and industrial interest characteristics

• The size of the fruit is medium: diameter, 54’2 mm.; height, 68’9 mm.; the relation diameter/height (D/H), it oscillates between 1’03 to 0’65.
• Greater number of seeds than the Verna.
• Very adherent, thin skin, with a medium value of 3’91 mm. and it represents more of the 30 % of the total weight of the fruit.
• The number of sections is between 7 and 13.
• Juicy flesh, of pale yellow color; its juice represents 50 % of the total weight of the fruit, which acidity is of 72 grams of citric acid per litre aprox.
• Its fruits are appreciated industrially for the great quantity of juice, richness in citric acid and essential oils.

Fructification

• The flowering of the Fine Lemon Tree is initiated days later than the Verna one, being shorter than in this last one the lapse of time in which occurs the appearance of the first flowers and the end of the floration. The harvest fruits which give name to these flowers are collected from October to December, as a consequence their cicle is shorter than that of the Verna Lemon.
• At the end of summer another flowering is produced in the case of the Fine lemon tree, but not as intense as in the Verna. These flowers produce the “rodrejo” lemons, which are harvested the next summer.
• The fructification of the Fine lemon tree is very regular in its spring flowering, being of less easiness to flower and fructificate extemporally than the Verna lemon tree.