Fruit tree

Lemon

Citrus × limon

🌷 Fruit tree

Lemon is a popular fruit tree. It's on our flower lists for 41 states.

–states

41of our state lists

15U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 23, 2026. Planted garden trees are mostly excluded from research grade.

On our lists for: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Quick look

The lemon is a species of small evergreen tree in the Citrus genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some evidence suggests lemons originated during the 1st millennium BC in what is now northeastern India. Some other citrus fruits are called lemon.
From Wikipedia's article Lemon, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Rutaceae family. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 7 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #126 among the 151 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #131 among the 178 flowers on our California list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #106 among the 118 flowers on our Hawaii list. ^iNaturalist

Lemon gift ideas

Handmade lemon gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Lemon art print
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Lemon greeting card
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Lemon mug
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Lemon earrings
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Lemon embroidery pattern
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Lemon sticker
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When does it bloom?

Not enough flowering records on iNaturalist to chart yet.

Bloom time in each of our 41 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Florida	🌷 Garden	few records	7
California	🌷 Garden	few records	2
Hawaii	🌷 Garden	few records	2
Nevada	🌷 Garden	few records	2
Texas	🌷 Garden	few records	2
Alabama	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Arkansas	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Arizona	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Colorado	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Connecticut	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Georgia	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Idaho	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Illinois	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Indiana	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Kansas	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Kentucky	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Louisiana	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Massachusetts	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Maryland	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Maine	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Michigan	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Minnesota	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Missouri	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Mississippi	🌷 Garden	few records	0
North Carolina	🌷 Garden	few records	0
New Jersey	🌷 Garden	few records	0
New Mexico	🌷 Garden	few records	0
New York	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Ohio	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Oklahoma	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Oregon	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Pennsylvania	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Rhode Island	🌷 Garden	few records	0
South Carolina	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Tennessee	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Utah	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Virginia	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Vermont	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Washington	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Wisconsin	🌷 Garden	few records	0
West Virginia	🌷 Garden	few records	0

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe: Unknown We couldn't find this name in NatureServe Explorer. ^NatureServe
Florida: n/a Florida's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
California: n/a California's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)}
Hawaii: n/a Hawaii's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{HAR 13-107}
Nevada: n/a Nevada's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{NAC 527.010}
Texas: n/a Texas's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead.
Arkansas: No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead.
Arizona: n/a Arizona's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{AAC R3-3 App. A}
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead.
Connecticut: n/a Connecticut's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{CT E/T/SC list}
Georgia: n/a Georgia's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Idaho: No list Idaho has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Idaho ranks instead.
Illinois: n/a Illinois's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{IL E&T checklist 2025}
Indiana: No list Indiana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the DNR keeps a rare plant list, but it isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Indiana ranks instead.
Kansas: No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants.
Kentucky: n/a Kentucky's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{400 KAR 3:040}
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks.
Massachusetts: n/a Massachusetts's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{MESA list}
Maryland: n/a Maryland's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{COMAR 08.03.08}
Maine: n/a Maine's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{Maine rare plant list}
Michigan: n/a Michigan's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{R 299.1028}
Minnesota: n/a Minnesota's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{Minn. R. 6134.0300}
Missouri: n/a Missouri's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{3 CSR 10-4.111}
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead.
North Carolina: n/a North Carolina's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
New Jersey: n/a New Jersey's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1}
New Mexico: n/a New Mexico's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
New York: n/a New York's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{6 NYCRR § 193.3}
Ohio: n/a Ohio's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{OAC 1501:18-1-03}
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead.
Oregon: n/a Oregon's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{OAR 603-073-0070}
Pennsylvania: n/a Pennsylvania's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{17 Pa. Code Ch. 45}
Rhode Island: n/a Rhode Island's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{RI rare plants 2016}
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead.
Tennessee: n/a Tennessee's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead.
Virginia: n/a Virginia's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^2VAC5-320-10
Vermont: n/a Vermont's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{Vermont E&T list}
Washington: No list Washington has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the Washington Natural Heritage Program's rare plant list isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Washington ranks instead.
Wisconsin: n/a Wisconsin's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{NR 27.03}
West Virginia: No list West Virginia has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (only federally listed species are protected), so we show NatureServe's West Virginia ranks instead.

Checked October 23, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant)) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Citrus Aurantium (“Bergamot Orange”), as toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.