What are the differences in lemon varieties?

[Mando408]

I was thinking of ordering some budwood from the CCPP, I plan on getting NZ Lemonade and a true lemon to graft on my main tree, but I'm unsure if I should get a Spanish or Italian variety or just get another Eureka/Lisbon. Has anyone compared the fruit? I've heard the only difference is the oil content in the peel.

 And if a lemon is a lemon regardless of the variety, do variegated pink Eureka lemons taste like regular yellow Eureka? I have a small grafted one but this is it's first year flowering and I have never tasted it.

[Bomand]

Eureka is my favorite lemon. Great tasting, easy to grow and a "real" lemon. It is IMHO a universal lemon. One can go to tons of various lemons......as lots of folks have done. Laaz is the lemon man....has tons of varities......

[Millet]

I echo Bomand's opinion. Eureka is a very high quality pure lemon.   I also grow Saint Teresa lemon, mainly for its namesake.

[containerman]

Is there much difference in taste between a variegated Eureka and a regular one ?

[brian]

Variegated Eureka has stripes obviously, but is also pink inside.  Tastes the same as plain Eureka to me.   Supposedly a much poorer producer than regular Eureka, though

[Mando408]

Thanks for your opinions. Eureka it is.

Unless something changes my mind in the next 2 weeks. haha

[Laaz]

Eureka is my least favorite true lemon. I would go for a Lisbon if you are looking for a easy to get lemon. The Italian varieties are all superior for their peel oil content.

[laidbackdood]

I dont agree all lemons are the same......Eureka is big and ugly.......meyer is a cross between a lemon and an orange....lemonade is very popular in nz and is taken off the tree...squeezed straight into a glass and water added and it makes the perfect lemonade....meyer has thin skin and an abundance of juice and is less sour than a eureka(i have one) or a lisbon......Meyer has a tendency to get yellow leaves...most lemons do.....and i get hassled by citrus leafminer a lot (chief pest in western australia) ......You can also make lemon leaf tea out of the leaves...just boil some healthy looking ones and drink the water(island style).........i have the eureka/lemonade/meyer....meyer tends to be a small compact tree......so it depends what you want.....Lemonade for drinking......eureka for a sour lemon to put on your pancakes.......meyer for a less sour but very juicy compact lemon that fruits all year round.,,,,here is a pic of my meyer in the pot...needs shaping and one of the fruit.
my eureka torched by the sun ! 40C +...will shade cloth next year...sunburn evident .meyer is my favorite.....a very tough environment to grow citrus ...we had a very dry summer...no rain at all and lots of days over 40C....we had a 37 a week ago...highest april day in 100 years here.....it doesnt rain at all through the summer!...Didnt mow the lawn once through summer....hope this helps you buddy.

[containerman]

Eureka is my least favorite true lemon. I would go for a Lisbon if you are looking for a easy to get lemon. The Italian varieties are all superior for their peel oil content.

I just picked up a Libson today at Home depot when I went in for a container lol. So now I have Meyer, Variegated Eureka and a Libson. 

[Millet]

Containerman, you have started a nice Lemon collection. However, you better get with it, if you ever want to ketch up with Laaz.  He is the man when it comes to collecting and growing lemon varieties.  What Laaz needs to do now is take a two week trip through Italy's lemon growing areas.

[containerman]

Containerman, you have started a nice Lemon collection. However, you better get with it, if you ever want to ketch up with Laaz.  He is the man when it comes to collecting and growing lemon varieties.  What Laaz needs to do now is take a two week trip through Italy's lemon growing areas.

i have plenty of lemons now but I’m always a sucker for another mandarin variety

[Mando408]

Eureka is my least favorite true lemon. I would go for a Lisbon if you are looking for a easy to get lemon. The Italian varieties are all superior for their peel oil content.

I guess Italian lemons are back into consideration lol. I was thinking Genoa (which the CVC description claims is indistinguishable from Eureka), Limonero Fino 49, or Femminello Siracusano 2KR. Originally I planned on getting a Santa Teresa but it isn't available for some reason.

I dont agree all lemons are the same......Eureka is big and ugly.......

LMFAO! That's one of the reasons I wanted to get Italian/Spanish lemons.

Taste over looks though, so I just want a good all around lemon to graft to my only in ground tree, the only lemon variety it has is Meyers. I have a few lemon trees in pots, a small Eureka that looks like it was possibly grown from a cutting, a couple of Lisbon (one is an 8A, the other doesn't specify), an air layer from the Meyers, and a multi graft tree with a Variegated Pink Eureka branch. I would just take some budwood from the one's I have but I'm living in an ACP red zone and don't want to risk possibly giving THAT tree HLB, even if it hasn't been detected here as far as I know.

[Oolie]

Originally I was planned on getting a Santa Teresa but it isn't available for some reason.

Unfortunate, I would strongly recommend getting one when it comes back into stock.

[SoCal2warm]

Between the three most popular citrus varieties, Meyer, Eureka, and Lisbon, Lisbon definitely is my favorite in terms of flavor and juice. Lisbon is the most common standard variety you will find sold in a supermarket.
However, everyone has their own personal favorites. Many prefer Meyer because it is a bit sweeter and has milder flavor with less sourness. Eureka is a slightly bigger fruit size and has a little rougher texture on the peel.

Ponderosa lemons can get huge sized fruits, are very ornamental, and the trees are also prolific and very fruitful, but it is not known for having the best flavor.

Meyer and Ponderosa might be considered by some to not really be "true lemons" in the sense that the others are. Meyer is believed to be a citron x mandarin hybrid, while Ponderosa is believed to be a citron x pomelo hybrid. Regular lemons originated in Italy around the 1500s and were hybrids between citron and sour orange.

[brian]

I ate a ponderosa lemon once years ago.  It tasted like regular lemon to me, as far as I remember.  The huge size isn't very practical for typical lemon uses, though, usually you only need a small amount.

[Laaz]

Eureka is the most common lemon you will find in the stores & they are usually small. Lisbon is a larger lemon & superior to Eureka. I don't bother growing Eureka as they are cheap & readily available in every grocery store. The KR2 Feminello is a excellent selection as is the ST Tesresa.

[Millet]

I grow a Saint Teresa lemon.  It is growing in the ground and is a big tree.   Saint Teresa has the biggest leaves I have ever seen on a citrus tree.  In fact the variety is famous for the size of the trees leaves. Some are 5 inches+ wide and can be up to 8 inches long.  As Laaz said the fruit is exceptional.

[laidbackdood]

That sounds like an awesome variety...Pity i cant get them in western australia.

[sc4001992]

I need to get a St. Teresa lemon, sounds interesting.

Millet, here's a photo of my big citrus leaves from my seedling pomelo (6"x13").

[sc4001992]

I agree with Laaz, the Lisbon lemon is very good, lots of juicy and nice size fruits.
Here's a few photos from my seedless lemon tree.

[Millet]

What variety of lemon is your seedless lemon?

[sc4001992]

My seedless lemon is budwood from CCPP, use to be called Seedless Lisbon, now they changed the name to Seedless Lemon (VI-492).
I got my scions when it was called Seedless Lisbon. Most of the fruits are seedless, I checked 30 lemons, cut open, counted about 12 seeds total.

[poncirsguy]

Some lemons are worth eating fresh out of hand.  New Zealand lemonade.  They are about the size of a medium orange.