Variegated Pink Lemon Tree

Variegated Pink Lemon (Citrus x limon) is a bud sport of a regular Eureka lemon that was discovered in a tree in the backyard of D.W. Field in Burbank California in the late 1920's. With its variegated dark green leaves with creamy white edges, this sport must have stood out against the total dark green leaves of its parents, the Eureka Lemon.

Pay attention to seedlings that sprout in your backyard. They are rare, but it's not uncommon to see variegated foliage. Oftentimes, this genetic trait isn't stable, which means it's only visible on young trees. Variegation frequently disappears as these seedlings mature into older trees.

Other qualities came to light as D.W. Field monitored his unique backyard find. For instance, the fruit that the sport produced was also variegated with cream yellow and green stripes and the tasty, pink flesh of the fruit was most intriguing.

D.W. Fields then brought budwood to U.C. Riverside in 1931 where it underwent trials by the noted plant physiologist, A.C. Shamel, who at that time was focused on improving citrus fruit for the commercial and home gardeners. The unique qualities of the Variegated Pink Lemon were obvious to Dr. Shamel.

He noted that the tree is less vigorous than a typical Eureka Lemon tree, and the stripes on the skin of the fruit would fade as it matured, but the pink colored flesh remained. He also noted was that the fruit had very few seeds and hung on the tree almost year-round.

Variegated Pink Lemon has been marketed under a number of names through the years, including the Pink lemonade, Panache Lemon, Variegated Eureka Lemon and Zebra Lemon. The fruit is a great source of the standard citrus nutrients: Vitamin C, Calcium and Lycopene which contributes to the pink colored flesh.

It is only the flesh that is pink, however. The juice is nearly colorless.

The Variegated Pink Lemon has become a popular selection for citrus growers around the world. It is recognized as a valuable citrus fruit that is popular with farmers market growers. It's also a wonderful focal point in the home garden as a beautiful edible ornamental.