The Meyer lemon is named for intrepid “plant explorer” Frank N. Meyer, who discovered the lemon variety in China in 1907. His story alone is worth checking out the history of the Meyer lemon, but he did not live to see his namesake lemon become a sensation in the United States. It was more fragrant and hardy than other available lemons, and soon it became a standard tree in California household gardens, bearing lovely fruit for those who owned one. Grower in Texas and Florida followed suit.
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But then in the 1940s, it was discovered that the Meyer lemon tree was the cause of citrus tristeza virus (CTV), commonly called “quick decline citrus” virus. The disease was getting out of hand because the Meyer lemon trees carried the virus, but was more immune to its effects than other trees. Therefore the lemon trees did not show symptoms for years, but aphids carried the virus to orange and grapefruit trees, which succumbed much more quickly. The war was one to eradicate Meyer lemon trees in the US.
Yet we use Meyer lemons to this day. Read how the eradication program was carried out, and what saved the Meyer lemon, at Atlas Obscura. -via Strange Company
(Image credit: Burkhard Mücke)
Source: neatorama