Where is the origin of lemons?

Lemon, also known as lemon, foreign lemon, Leonurus, Yimu and so on, is a small tree of Rutaceae citrus, which is rich in citric acid, so it is known as "citric acid warehouse". The fruit juice is succulent and crisp, with strong aroma, because it tastes very sour, so it can only be used as a high-quality seasoning to prepare beverage dishes, cosmetics and medicines. Let's take a look at where the lemon is from.

Where is the origin of lemons?

Lemon originated in India, said that in southwest China and northern Myanmar, the cultivation time is relatively late in China, and the cultivation quantity is small, distributed in the provinces (autonomous regions) south of the Yangtze River. Taiwan is the main lemon producing area in China, and then Sichuan is the most cultivated. Anyue County, Ziyang City, Sichuan Province is the hometown of lemons in China and the only lemon commodity production base in the country. Other producing areas are mainly in Fujian, Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and other places. Due to the high economic benefits of cultivating lemon, it has been introduced to some provinces and cities south of the Yellow River.

The producing environment of lemon

Lemon is warm, shade-tolerant, not cold-resistant and afraid of heat, so it is suitable for cultivation in subtropical areas where it is warm in winter and cool in summer. The suitable annual average temperature is 1719 ℃, the annual effective accumulated temperature (≥ 10 ℃) is more than 5500 ℃, the average temperature in January is 6 to 8 ℃, the extreme minimum temperature is higher than ~ 3 ℃, the annual rainfall is more than 1000 mm, and the annual sunshine hours are more than 1000 hours. It is suitable to be planted on a gentle slope with warm and deep soil layer and good drainage, and the most suitable soil pH value is between 5.5 and 7.0. Lemon plants grow faster, the height of the plant is 3 to 6 meters, and they need a large amount of fertilizer. They shoot, blossom and bear fruit many times a year, and the yield varies greatly due to good or bad management.

The plant culture of lemon

In the 15th century, European adventurers sailed across the sea to compete for colonies in pursuit of spices and gold. During the voyage, sailors were often attacked by a kind of distemper-like scurvy and lost thousands of lives.

In 1593, more than 10000 sailors died of scurvy in England, and 4/5 of sailors in Spain, Portugal and other countries died of scurvy. Before and after these events, another miracle happened. Some French explorers spent the winter in Canada. 110 of them suffered from scurvy. The local Indians told them to drink water soaked in pine leaves. In despair, the patients drank this water and were saved.

From 1772 to 1775, when Captain Cook of England led the ship on the second voyage, during the expedition across the Pacific Ocean for three years, only one of the 118 crew members died. It turned out that Captain Cook ordered the crew to eat kimchi frequently to save the crew from scurvy.

The research on the treatment of scurvy began between 1745 and 1755, when British doctor Linde tried fresh vegetables, fruits and drugs to carry out medical experiments on sailors suffering from scurvy. On one occasion, while treating scurvy of sailors on board the British ship "Shuanhai five", he selected some sailors to be divided into six groups and treated with different methods, such as different food, medicine and physiotherapy. As a result, unexpectedly, the patients who took the medicine did not get any better. on the contrary, a group of patients who ate lemon got rid of the disease as if they had taken a "elixir" and quickly recovered.

Around 1795, the British navy adopted this method, requiring sailors to drink a certain amount of lemon leaf water every day during their entry into the sea. Two years later, scurvy in the British navy disappeared. As a result, the British often use the interesting nickname "lemon man" to call their sailors and sailors.