Photo: Bj.schoenmakers, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Citrus limon
Lemon (sitwon)
- Also called Lemon
- Haitian Creole Sitwon
- Hindi Nimbu (नींबू)
Small evergreen tree, 3-6 m, thorny
What it is
Lemon is a small, thorny citrus tree with glossy, pale green leaves. Its flower buds are tinged purple and open into scented white flowers, which can appear several times a year. Its oval yellow fruits have a pointed tip and very sour juice. It is an old hybrid from South Asia, probably the foothills of the Himalaya, and is now grown in warm places everywhere.
What it's used for
- Its juice and peel are used for cooking, drinks and cleaning, and in Haiti sour citrus is used daily to wash and season meat and fish.
- Its repeated flowering gives bees a source of nectar over much of the year.
- Its peel gives lemon oil for flavouring and scent.
Where we plant it
Our partners plant the mix of native species that suits each site and season, so a gift plants trees in the project rather than this one species. Citrus limon is one of the species planted there.
More trees planted in Pollinator Agroforestry in Haiti
Pigeon pea (pwa kongo)Cajanus cajan
Yellow mombin (monben)Spondias mombin
Candelabra spurgeEuphorbia lactea
Moringa (benzolive)Moringa oleifera
Red mombin (siwèl)Spondias purpurea
Cassava (manyòk)Manihot esculenta
Coconut palm (kokoye)Cocos nucifera
Breadfruit (lam veritab)Artocarpus altilis
See all 16 species in Pollinator Agroforestry in Haiti
Other species we plant
Mangrove Restoration in Kenya
4 species
Rebuilding Oregon's Forests
5 species
Reforestation in Tamil Nadu, India
37 species
LimeberryBaheda or Beleric myrobalanBig-fruited jamunSouth Indian suregadaJamun, Naval or Black plumDevil pepper or Wild snakerootWoody-fruited PterospermumCork-leaved bayurVengai, Vijaysar or Indian kinoCeylon boxwoodCorky debbar treePanakka treeWinged naringi, a wild citrusPamburus, a wild citrus relativeElumbotti, the bone-knit shrubClimbing olaxBakul, Magizham or Spanish cherryKaya or Ironwood treeNotched-leaf spike thornPalai, Palu or KhirniPointed-leaf jasmineIndian screw tree or ValampuriGrewia, a dry-country shrubGrewia, a dry-forest shrubOrangeberry or KonjiGarlic fruit or Bitter garciniaHairy fig or PeyattiWild karanda or ConkerberryCansjera, a native forest climberShining bush-violetVagai or Siris treeUsilai or Krishna sirisChokkalai or Droopy leafWild lime or Kattu elumichaiKorinti, a custard-apple relativeIndian allophylus or TitberryLolly berry or Saptarangi
