'Lemon' Limited Edition Print

Citrus limon, lemon

A3. 297 x 420 mm / 11.7 x 16.5 inches

The Lemon has a tremendous amount of health benefits, including the treatment of dental problems, throat infections, fever, internal bleeding, rheumatism, burns, respiratory disorders, cholera, and high blood pressure, whilst also being an antiseptic and beneficial to hair and skin.

The juice of a Lemon is also known to reduce strokes, and can be a useful treatment for kidney stones and gallstones, as it has the ability to prevent the formation of crystals. On a digestive level it is a wonderful source to cleanse your stomach, aid indigestion and constipation. It can also reduce body weight, therefore being a useful treatment for obesity and diabetes.

Lemon will strengthen your immune system and is a great source of Vitamins C, B6, A, E, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron and Zinc to name just a few.

The Lemon tree in this illustration is the ‘Eureka’ which is a common true variety compared to some of the similar hybrids such as the ‘Meyer’. Known for it’s ever so slightly golden fruit, with a thinner skin, a hint of pinkish flesh the ‘Eureka’ also has and less dense foliage than some varieties. Pollinated by mostly bees and butterflies and in this artwork I chose to illustrate the Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, a frequent visitor.

Whilst Lemon trees are capable of self pollinating due to their flowers having male and female sex organs, pollinating insects can help greatly. The ‘Eureka’ variety can be parthenocarpic, which in horticultural terms, literally means “virgin fruit” or a fruit that is seedless. This is why you will sometimes see fruit nets over trees to protect them from pollinators and therefore producing a high yield of seedless fruit.

During the process of self pollination the male releases sticky pollen that comes into contact with the female flower organs. When this transpires through pollinating insects, such as bees or butterflies, the fruit is more likely to produce more seeds. Therefore a greater chance of natural germination, hence more fruit trees to potentially grow.