Nibu / Lemon
Citrus limon
Also known as Lime, Rough Lemon
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh & more
- Flowering
- February-September
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Citrus limon
- Genus
- Citrus
- Family
- Rutaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Cultivated
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- Southeast Asia
- Distribution
- Cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries
- Found in India
- Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- February-September
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
- Type
- Variable
Typical of the Rutaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
Typical of the Rutaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- नीबू nibu, Sylhet lime, sharbati, surkh nimboo
- Nepali
- कागती, निबुवा
- Bengali
- লেবু, সাইট্রাস x লিমন, সাইট্রাস লেবু
- Tamil
- எலுமிச்சை
- Telugu
- నిమ్మ
- Kannada
- ನಿಂಬೆ
- Malayalam
- നാരകം
- Marathi
- लिंबू
Nibu in India
Lemon, known as नीबू (Hindi), எலுமிச்சை (Tamil), నిమ్మ (Telugu), ನಿಂಬೆ (Kannada), നാരകം (Malayalam), लिंबू (Marathi), is a widely grown citrus fruit. Citrus limon is cultivated across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, usually as a small orchard or dooryard tree.
Uses
The juice and rind flavour countless dishes, drinks (nimbu pani) and pickles (nimbu ka achaar), and the juice is used as a household souring and cleaning agent.
How to Identify Nibu
A small, often thorny evergreen tree with glossy, aromatic leaves. Flowers are white to purple-tinged and fragrant, in small clusters, followed by the familiar oval, yellow, thick-skinned fruit with a pointed tip at one end.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Lemon called in different Indian languages?
- नीबू (Hindi); எலுமிச்சை (Tamil); నిమ్మ (Telugu); ನಿಂಬೆ (Kannada); നാരകം (Malayalam); लिंबू (Marathi); লেবু (Bengali).
- Is the Indian 'nimbu' always a true lemon?
- Not always — the Hindi word nimbu is used loosely for both true lemon (Citrus limon) and various limes, so a specific fruit is best confirmed by its skin thickness and shape.
- Why do lemon leaves smell strongly when crushed?
- Like other citrus, the leaves carry aromatic oil glands that release a strong citrus scent when bruised or crushed.
Rutaceae
Citrus/Rue family
Nibu belongs to the Rutaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Rutaceae family →Snap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Rutaceae
View all Rutaceae →Sources: GBIF — Citrus limon (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Citrus limon (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)