A useful hybrid

Did you know that the lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the grapefruit? And the grapefruit is itself a hybrid of the orange and the pomelo. It is difficult to classify citrus fruits, as they cross-breed so easily.

The lemon is thought to originate in Asia, from where it was exported to the Mediterranean between 1000 and 1150. It later spread to America with the Spanish.

Lemon was originally used for medicine and as an ornamental plant. It has become a valued cooking plant only during the past few centuries.