Meet The Fruit That Didn’t Exist In The Wild Until Humans Created It. Hint: You Probably Have One In Your Kitchen Right Now
Summary
Lemons, often seen as nature's gifts, have a fascinating history. The publication explores how early humans transformed wild citrus into one of the most iconic and versatile fruits enjoyed worldwide today.
Key Insights
How did lemons come to exist if they didn’t exist in the wild originally?
Lemons are a hybrid fruit created by humans through the crossbreeding of wild citrus species. Specifically, lemons originated from a hybridization between sour orange and citron. This means lemons as we know them did not exist naturally in the wild but were developed through human cultivation and selection.
What are the ancestral species that gave rise to modern cultivated citrus fruits like lemons and oranges?
Modern cultivated citrus fruits, including lemons and oranges, originated from four main ancestral species: citron (Citrus medica), mandarin (Citrus reticulata), pummelo (Citrus maxima), and papeda (Citrus micrantha). Through natural and artificial hybridization among these species, a wide variety of citrus fruits were developed, such as lemons (a hybrid of sour orange and citron) and sweet oranges (complex hybrids involving mandarins and pummelos).