Types of Lemons: 7 Varieties Compared, and Why Meyer Isn’t a True Lemon

Eureka, Lisbon and Bearss are the classic “true” lemons. Meyer, Ponderosa and Lemonade are hybrids sold as lemons, and Variegated Pink is a striped sport of Eureka. That split shapes what you care about most: how tart the fruit is, whether the tree has thorns, and how much cold it takes before it drops its leaves.

Lemon Varieties Compared: Seven Types at a Glance

For most gardeners the choice comes down to one trade-off: Meyer is the hardiest and sweetest, while Eureka and Lisbon give the sharp, classic lemon but need a mild winter. The table sorts all seven by the traits that change how you grow them.

What Makes a Lemon “True”?

A true lemon is a cultivar of Citrus limon, and even that species is a hybrid. Lemon is generally described as a cross between citron and sour orange (UF/IFAS), and a 2023 genome study of the ‘Perfume Lemon’ cultivar put numbers on it: 53.5% of the genome traced to citron, 23.3% to mandarin and 23.2% to pummelo, because sour orange is itself a pummelo-mandarin cross (Bao et al., Horticulture Research).

That one study covers one cultivar, so treat the exact percentages as a snapshot rather than a rule for every variety. The practical point is that “lemon” was never a pure species, which is why hybrids with extra mandarin or orange in the mix, Meyer being the best known, behave differently in the sources below: sweeter fruit and a hardier tree.

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Meyer’s exact parentage is still disputed. UC Riverside says “lemon and orange,” UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says “lemon and sweet orange,” the UF/IFAS lemon publication lists it as lemon × mandarin, and NC State calls it a citron crossed with a mandarin-pomelo hybrid. Every source agrees it is a hybrid, none agrees on the parents.

Eureka: The Supermarket Lemon That Hates Frost

Eureka is the classic tart lemon, and it is the least cold-tolerant of the true lemons. UF/IFAS describes the tree as non-vigorous, spreading and open, nearly thornless, cold sensitive and relatively short-lived. It came from a seedling planted in Los Angeles in 1858 and was selected in 1878.

Eureka bears year-round, with the heaviest crop from late winter through early summer (Florida data). One detail explains part of the frost problem: its fruit often forms in large terminal clusters that foliage doesn’t protect. Lisbon often carries its fruit inside the canopy. The extension sources don’t link the two facts, so the frost advantage of a covered canopy is my inference, but it fits how a freeze damages exposed fruit first.

Eureka’s best trait is that it stays manageable. A nearly thornless, open tree is easier to pick from than a thorny one, which suits a home garden in a frost-free zone.

Lisbon: Bigger, Thornier, Tougher

Lisbon is the rugged true lemon. UF/IFAS calls the tree “large, vigorous, densely foliated, thorny, prolific,” and says it tolerates cold, high temperatures and wind. UC Riverside traces it to a Portuguese selection from the Gallego seedling group and notes that it crops several times a year, with the main crop in winter and early spring in California.

The trade-off is picking. Thorns and fruit buried inside a dense canopy mean you reach in for every lemon. If you want a big in-ground tree and can live with that, Lisbon outlasts Eureka in a rough spot.

Yen Ben is a Lisbon sport that arose in Queensland, Australia, in the 1930s. UC Riverside reports it as reputedly early bearing, heavy-yielding and low-seeded, with fruit that is often small because the tree sets so much.

Bearss: The Low-Thorn Alternative

Bearss is a vigorous, thornless to nearly thornless lemon with very acidic juice and few or no seeds. It was selected in 1952 from a seedling planted in 1892 in Lutz, Florida, and was originally called ‘Sicily’ (UF/IFAS). The same publication warns that it is susceptible to scab and greasy spot, and that the tree throws many water sprouts, so expect to prune.

I could not find a cold rating specific to Bearss in extension sources, so don’t assume it matches Lisbon. Treat it as a lemon that needs frost protection like the others until your local extension office says otherwise.

Meyer: Sweeter, Smaller, Hardier

Meyer is the lemon for containers and colder gardens. It is a small tree of 6 to 10 feet, and NC State lists it for zones 8b to 11b. UC Riverside calls it moderately vigorous, cold hardy and shrubby, and the fruit is noticeably sweeter than a Eureka or Lisbon. UF/IFAS says it handles cold better than other citrus but needs protection below 20°F.

NC State is blunter: the tree “cannot survive frosts.” Both can be right, because a light frost can burn flowers and young fruit well above the temperature that kills wood. Below zone 8b, grow it in a pot you can move indoors. Our lemon vs Meyer lemon comparison covers container size and overwintering, and the Meyer lemon care guide covers the year-round routine.

Three Meyer facts that save money:

• Buy “Improved” Meyer. The original 1908 introduction from Beijing carried citrus tristeza virus without symptoms, and UC Riverside notes that the Improved Meyer sold now is virus-free.
• Don’t expect fruit indoors without help. UF/IFAS says a Meyer kept inside is unlikely to fruit, and NC State recommends hand-pollinating the flowers indoors and feeding every three months.
• Expect fall and winter fruit. UF/IFAS says Meyer bears mostly in fall and winter, and NC State puts ripening at 6 to 9 months, so patience is part of the deal.

Ponderosa and Lemonade: The Hybrids Sold as Lemons

Ponderosa is a thorny, cold-sensitive curiosity and Lemonade is a mild, sweet home-garden lemon. They are both hybrids, and neither tastes like a Eureka.

Ponderosa. UC Riverside describes a small, round-topped, productive and thorny tree with medium-large, seedy fruit, a thick fleshy rind and acid, pale green flesh. It ripens throughout the year and is sensitive to cold. The page says the variety is “possibly a hybrid between a citron and a lemon” that began as a chance seedling around 1887 and was introduced to nurseries in 1900. It is mainly grown as an ornamental or a lemon substitute, so buy it for the look of it, not for lemonade.

Lemonade. UC Riverside lists it as “a sweet lemon hybrid of unknown parentage” from New Zealand, where it is a popular home-garden tree. Fruit is small to medium, not very seedy and “very pleasant” in taste, and ripens January to April at Riverside. The tree is semi-dwarf on trifoliate rootstock and susceptible to citrus scab.

Variegated Pink Eureka and the “Pink Lemonade” Naming Trap

Variegated Pink Eureka is an ornamental sport of Eureka with striped leaves and light pink flesh. UC Riverside describes a green-and-cream striped rind that fades to yellow with distinct pink oil glands at full ripeness, very acidic, low-seeded fruit, and a tree less vigorous than a normal Eureka.

The catch is the name. UC Riverside notes it is sometimes sold as “Pink Lemonade,” which sounds like the Lemonade lemon above. They are unrelated: one is a sharp, sour Eureka sport, the other a sweet hybrid of unknown parentage. Check the botanical or cultivar name on the tag before you pay for a “lemonade” tree expecting sweet fruit.

Lemon-Named Plants That Aren’t Lemons

Rangpur “lime” is a mandarin-type fruit, not a lime or lemon: UC Riverside says the name “is misleading and should be avoided” and that the resemblances to mandarin are “obvious and numerous.” It matters mainly as a rootstock. If a tag says “Rangpur lime,” you are buying a tree closer to a mandarin than to a lime or a lemon.

Lemon-named plants outside citrus are a different group altogether, and none of them is a citrus tree:

If you are comparing lemons with other citrus, the key lime guide covers the closest tart relative.

Which Lemon Should You Plant?

Match the variety to your coldest night first, then to how you plan to use the fruit.

• Below zone 8b, or a patio pot: Improved Meyer. It is the smallest, hardiest option, and NC State lists it from zone 8b.
• Frost-free yard, classic sharp lemon, tidy tree: Eureka.
• Frost-free yard, wind, heat and room to spare: Lisbon. Wear gloves when you pick.
• Fewer thorns and very acidic juice: Bearss, with the pruning and scab caveats above.
• Sweet fruit to eat out of hand: Lemonade or Meyer.
• A decorative tree: Variegated Pink Eureka or Ponderosa, in a spot that never freezes.

Whatever you choose, plant to the cold numbers. UF/IFAS puts leaf drop in lemons at about 22 to 24°F, severe wood damage at 20°F, and flower and young fruit kill at 29°F. For zone 8 limits, see which citrus survive in zone 8.

Buy a grafted, certified tree from a nursery rather than starting seed. The lemon tree propagation guide explains why seedlings take many years and may not match the parent, and lemon tree fertilizer by season and citrus tree diseases cover what comes after planting. Citrus also fruits on its own schedule, so the citrus harvest guide helps with timing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main types of lemons?

The main true lemons are Eureka, Lisbon and Bearss. Meyer, Ponderosa and Lemonade are hybrids sold as lemons, and Variegated Pink Eureka is a striped sport of Eureka.

Is a Meyer lemon a real lemon?

Meyer is a lemon hybrid, not a true lemon. Extension sources disagree on its parents (lemon with orange, mandarin, or a mandarin-pomelo hybrid), but all agree it is a cross. That is why it is sweeter and hardier than Eureka or Lisbon.

Which lemon tree is the most cold hardy?

Among the lemons in this guide, Improved Meyer is the hardiest. Of the true lemons, UF/IFAS describes Lisbon as cold tolerant and Eureka as cold sensitive, and UC Riverside calls Ponderosa sensitive to cold. Even Meyer needs protection below 20°F.

Which lemon has the fewest thorns?

Eureka, Meyer and Bearss are described as nearly thornless or thornless. Lisbon and Ponderosa are thorny.

Which lemon is the sweetest?

Meyer and Lemonade are the sweetest in this guide. UF/IFAS calls Meyer a sweeter alternative to common lemons, and UC Riverside describes Lemonade as having a very pleasant taste.

Can you grow a lemon tree indoors?

Meyer is the usual choice. UF/IFAS says an indoor Meyer is unlikely to fruit, so give it the sunniest window you have and hand-pollinate the flowers, as NC State advises.

Sources

1. Crane, J.H. Lemon Growing in the Florida Home Landscape (HS1153/HS402). UF/IFAS Extension
2. UC Riverside Citrus Variety Collection. Improved Meyer lemon (CRC 3737). University of California, Riverside
3. UC Riverside Citrus Variety Collection. Ponderosa lemon hybrid (CRC 294). University of California, Riverside
4. UC Riverside Citrus Variety Collection. Lemonade lemon (CRC 4181). University of California, Riverside
5. UC Riverside Citrus Variety Collection. Frost nucellar Lisbon lemon (CRC 3176). University of California, Riverside
6. UC Riverside Citrus Variety Collection. Yen Ben Lisbon lemon (CRC 4067). University of California, Riverside
7. UC Riverside Citrus Variety Collection. Variegated Pink Fleshed Eureka lemon (CRC 2367). University of California, Riverside
8. UC Riverside Citrus Variety Collection. Bishop red Rangpur lime (CRC 2451). University of California, Riverside
9. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions. Meyer Lemon. University of Florida
10. NC State Extension. Citrus x limon ‘Meyer’ (Meyer Lemon). North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
11. Bao, Y. et al. A gap-free and haplotype-resolved lemon genome provides insights into flavor synthesis and huanglongbing (HLB) tolerance. Horticulture Research 10(4), uhad020, 2023