Citrus - Lemon Eureka Citrus limon Eureka Grafted

Eureka is grown as a lemon, and the citrus page carries the Missouri Plant Finder's culture for the species: sun, shelter from wind, fertile well-drained soil, water and small feeds of nitrogen through the growing season, very little pruning. That American reference reports mealybugs, red spiders and scale as the lemon's problems.

What is Eureka's own comes from the Riverside collection, a Californian reference. Its notes say the tree grows vigorously with a spreading, open form, is slightly less cold-hardy and less thorny than Lisbon, and holds its fruit on the outside of the canopy, often in clusters. The 1967 description it quotes reads differently on vigour: a tree medium in vigour and size, sparsely foliated beside Lisbon, strongly everbearing, early to bear and productive, yet lacking vigour against most other varieties, more sensitive to cold, insect infestation and neglect, and shorter-lived. At Riverside the crop is spread through the year and comes mainly in late winter, spring and early summer; that is California's season. No Australian reference was read for Eureka: the Atlas holds a name entry for the lemon with no state records or status text, so the status of exotic follows from the Californian origin the collection gives. This page has no climate zones, no frost figure and no Australian cropping season for Eureka.

The Missouri Plant Finder's suggested use for the lemon species is fruit, and it lists the tree as an accent or specimen, for large containers, and as a seasonal bloomer. The HortOS community garden cost guide lists the Eureka lemon. The description the Riverside collection quotes says that in California Eureka soon rivalled Lisbon because it bore early, was thornless and cropped through the year. The other lemons with pages here are Lisbon and Meyer.

The table above shows the sizes growers list; the community garden cost guide gives a 400 mm pot as the size the most growers price for Eureka. The HortOS listing for this lemon names it grafted. The Riverside collection notes that there are many named selections of Eureka, each with characteristics that set it apart from the original clone; no saved text says which selection the Australian trade grows, so ask the grower. For roots and pests see the HortOS guide to judging nursery plant quality. Stock that crosses a state border moves under the state and territory biosecurity rules; the HortOS guide to buying from a wholesale grower says nursery stock moving interstate may need a plant health certificate. The drawbacks are those of the 1967 description: less vigour than most other varieties, and a shorter life.