Citrus x limon ’Ponderosa’

English name: Ponderosa lemon

Latin name: Citrus x limon ‘Ponderosa’

Family: Rue (Citrus) - Rutaceae

Origin: Under cultivation at he Palm House

The Ponderosa lemon resulted from the hybridization of the regular lemon and the citron. In the 1970s, Professor Szczepan Pieniązek, of the Research Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice, introduced the plant to Poland. George Bowman first bred this variety in 1887. It flowers as early as its first or second year of cultivation, and bears fruit after about three years. The fruits are much larger than the lemons one buys in shops, and not as sour. Their skin is yellow, with a medium thickness. The pulp is a pale yellow or bright green colour, and includes many seeds. One small tree normally produces two to three fruits. The lemon is self pollinating. The fruits are white or light pink, while the leaves are dark green and rounded. The Ponderosa lemon develops a strong root system, so it is often used as a rootstock for other citrus fruits.