For the many years we have had this tree, we thought it was a “Lisbon Lemon,” but now, we discover it is actually an Improved Meyer Lemon (Citrus × meyeri). We made the discovery when we uploaded some photos to AI asking why we were simultaneously having new blossoms and ripening fruit on the tree. It turns out that this is normal behavior for this species.
While most citrus trees follow a seasonal cycle, Meyer lemons are unique for their “everbearing” nature. It is very common to see fruit in various stages of maturity (green, yellow, and ripe) alongside fragrant white blossoms all on the same branch at the same time.
Here are some close-ups of the blossoms and fruit:
The last two photos were taken using a newly-acquired Canon EF-S 60mm 1/2.8 Macro lens. We bought the lens specifically for close-ups of our desert flora and fauna. These two photos turned out to our satisfaction and we are pleased with the new-to-us (very slightly used) lens.
As for the lemon tree, we anticipate harvesting the fruit within a month.
We had a lemon tree in Long Beach that was very fragrant and made so many lemons we were throwing them away!
We also have had years like that. We give bunches to our neighbors, the barber I use, the postman, etc., and still have leftovers that we use in part for Limoncello. The rest get thrown up in the wash for the critters that live around this part of the desert.