The world over prizes the lemon tree for its lush green foliage and juicy fruit. Lemons are full of nutrients and vitamins and are well known for their cleansing properties.
Different cultivars are grown around the world, and there are five or six that are available in South African nurseries. Each has its value and virtues. Varieties found in South Africa include:
- Eureka – smooth-skinned fruit with yellow skin and greenish flesh with few seeds. High acidity and lots of juice.
- Genoa – smooth-skinned fruit with yellow skin when ripe and yellow to green flesh. Acidic and juicy.
- Limoneira – rough-skinned fruit released in South Africa around 1998. Light to deep yellow, depending on the time of harvest. Medium fruit. The skin has a high oil skin content and lemon aroma. Acidic with few pips.
- Lisbon – medium-size smooth-skinned fruit with yellow skin and pale flesh. High acidity and juice content.
- Meyer – small fruit with yellow to orange skin and yellow flesh. Less acidic than other lemons with plenty of juice.
- Cape Rough Skin – fruit with rough skin and odd shapes. Yellow when ripe with pale flesh. Acidic and moderately juicy. An old-fashioned lemon tree that has been cultivated locally for ages.
Home gardeners tend to favour either the Eureka or the Meyer. The Meyer originated in China and is believed to be a hybrid between a lemon and a tangerine or orange, whereas the Eureka is a true lemon. Both these lemon trees are exceptionally hardy, with the Meyer having an extra capacity to handle cold weather and frost.
The Rough Skin is the oldest variety of lemon in South Africa – named for its bumpy and uneven, thick skin. Like the Meyer, it is sweeter than other lemon varieties and makes a flavourful lemon juice. It was brought to South Africa via St Helena and planted in the Cape Town gardens of Jan van Riebeeck in 1654. Citrus was popular because of its high vitamin C content which helped to combat scurvy, a common affliction of many sailors.
No matter which variety of lemon is your favourite, each one has its unique qualities that make it a must for the garden.
The Eastern Cape is the biggest producer of lemons in South Africa, followed by Limpopo and the Western Cape. The lemon is one of the most important citrus fruits commercially grown in South Africa, with the Eureka or Lisbon lemon cultivars the most common.
India, followed by Mexico and China, produces the most lemons worldwide, but Spain is the biggest exporter of lemons, followed by Mexico and South Africa. Europe is South Africa’s largest export market, followed by the Middle East.
Following two years of export disruptions caused by COVID-19, unrest and cyberattacks on South African ports, 2022 saw another blow to South African citrus farmers, the loss of the Russian market due to sanctions after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. South Africa usually sends about 10% of its annual two billion dollars in citrus exports to Russia. Several other challenges faced the citrus sector this season, including soaring input costs, red tape hampering access to some European overseas markets, and ongoing operational challenges at the country’s ports.