This viral post on X has over 10 million views and asserts that lemons are not “naturally occurring.” Instead, the post claims that lemons were created by humans through crossbreeding bitter oranges and citrons.
How true is this claim? Are lemons a man-made fruit? Based on our research, part of this claim is rooted in the known fact that many of the citrus fruits we consume today are cross-bred and hybrids of other citrus fruits – including lemons, sweet oranges, limes, and grapefruits.
According to a notable study published in 2018, plants in the citrus genus are highly prone to mutation and can readily crossbreed amongst each other, which has allowed cross-pollination amongst citrus plants over thousands of years. According to the same study and several others, this was done naturally by insects such as bees in the wild, after which humans discovered the resulting hybrid fruits and began cultivating the desirable hybrids for consumption.
This is the case with lemons, which are a hybrid of sour oranges and citrons. And, sour oranges are themselves a hybrid of pure mandarins and pomelos. Although it not known for sure exactly where or when the lemon first appeared, records show that it existed in southern Italy by 200 BCE (the 2nd century) and was cultivated in the Middle East by 700 BCE.
Therefore, while the viral claim post appears to be a “fun fact” without the intent to spread any sort of malicious disinformation, it is nevertheless inaccurate. Lemons are naturally occurring hybrids of older, parent citrus fruits varieties. As confirmed by multiple other experts through a Snopes fact-check, it is highly unlikely that humans directly and intentionally created the lemon through breeding and far more probable that lemons naturally mutated in the wild before being discovered and cultivated by humans.
We give the claim that lemons are not naturally occurring a rating of false – life did, in fact, give us lemons.
