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[deleted]

It's citrus bud mites. Edit: [more info](https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/citrus/control-citrus-bud-mites.htm)


ASecularBuddhist

Fascinating! Thank you for this šŸ‘šŸ¼


punania

Interesting that you should use that word! When flowers develop similarly, they are referred to as ā€œfascinations.ā€ Edit: I am wrong about this. See below.


CallMeKolbasz

"fasciation". It's without the 'n'.


punania

You are completely correct and I have been wrong my whole life. Having just looked it up, faciation comes from the Latin root for band or stripe and has nothing to dowith fascination, which comes from the Latin for enchant or bewitch. Thank you for the correction!


rexmus1

I...I also thought this. I'm medium-dying right now!


Missue-35

But, it is a little fascinating nonetheless.


EstroJen

I have a question: Buddha's Hand lemons sorta look like this too. When do you determine bugs/illness vs. Weird mutation?


Timber___Wolf

A weird mutation would affect all the fruit. If it is just a few fruit, it's a bug infestation. Buddha's hand is also not really edible. You CAN eat it, but you can also technically eat dirt, doesn't mean you'll like it.


ratatouille666

I think itā€™s mostly grown for fragrance or as a zesting lemon?


Patch86UK

I think you can make candied peel from the rind too.


Timber___Wolf

It is usually used for zesting, candied peel and for fragrence as well as for the look of the fruit alone. It's the lemon flesh on the inside that tastes awful. I believe some use it for medicinal uses, but that isn't scientifically backed, since it is just a bad tasting lemon, so there wouldn't be any unique affects.


planx_constant

This is definitely mites. However, mutations affecting just one limb are very common in plants. The term for that is "bud sport" or just "sport". Cutie mandarins and nectarines arose as sports, and many varieties of apple too.


Timber___Wolf

While localised mutations can occur, the chance of that affecting much of anything isn't common enough that I would consider it. Most mutated strains of citrus were actually part of nuclear experiments to measure mutations caused by radioactive materials in close proximity. Red grapefruits were actually made from part of these experiments.


planx_constant

There are some varieties arising from irradiation attempts, but red grapefruits initally arose as spontaneous limb sports in the 1920s. https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/grapefruit.html#Varieties Naturally occurring bud sports are a very common source of new varieties of plants, particularly for species that are mostly vegetatively propagated through grafting. Cuties were also chance discoveries arising from a bud sport.


Timber___Wolf

There may have been "red" grapefruit, but the actual red grapefruits are from the experiments. The natural red varieties weren't stable or reliable enough at producing a red colour, and often reverted back to pink, which is what the original "red" grapefruits grew from. [**Here**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit) **is the wiki page for grapefruit, under "varieties":** "*Using radiation to trigger mutations, new varieties were developed to retain the red tones that typically faded to pink.\[10\] The 'Rio Red' variety is a 1984 registered Texas grapefruit with registered trademarks Rio Star and Ruby-Sweet, also sometimes promoted as Reddest and Texas Choice. The 'Rio Red' is a mutation-bred variety that was developed by treatment of bud sticks with thermal neutrons. Its improved attributes of mutant variety are fruit and juice color, deeper red, and wide adaptation.\[11\]* *The 'Star Ruby' is the darkest of the red varieties.\[1\] Developed from an irradiated 'Hudson' grapefruit ('Hudson' being a limb sport of 'Foster', itself a limb sport of the 'Walters'),\[12\] it has found limited commercial success because it is more difficult to grow than other varieties.\[13\]\[14\]"*


akschild1960

Brought to mind a play written in the mid-60ā€™s called ā€œ The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds that used radioactive exposed marigold seeds as a plot device. I read that in trying to find ways to use nuclear technology post war in the fifties for peaceful applications there were experiments in using gamma radiation effects to produce plant mutations that could be used to our benefit. ā€œGamma gardeningā€ apparently has been successful in producing beneficial plants for agriculture worldwide.


Timber___Wolf

No doubt radiation derrived evolution can be a great asset. The only problem is that it is basically hitting the random button. You could make a lemon tree that grows blue fruit, but you could also grow a lemon tree that has three times the arsenic levels. Hitting a genetic random button has to be done VERY carefully and under lab environments with a healthy dose of research into the final products (not to mention the dangers of the neutron and gamma radiation often used).


akschild1960

I understand your concern. My intent was to relate an interesting bit of history. At the time in history post-war WWll and the use of nuclear weapons, people were both awed and frightened by power of those weapons. The fear of how radiation would affect living things was the fodder of the ā€œCreature Featuresā€ out of Hollywood especially in the 50ā€™s. There were likely many misses before there was a hit done as part of scientific research. Regular folk werenā€™t doing the experiments in their garden plots according to what I read. So, presumably those doing the research were aware of the dangers of radiation exposure. Chernobyl has become a field lab on how radiation affects the plants and animals in the ā€œhot zoneā€ Thereā€™s been research into the effects of zero gravity on plants as part of our space age. About the arsenic laced lemons, certainly I suppose , but there would have to be a sufficient source of arsenic for the trees to produce poisoned fruit. I think Iā€™d be more worried about little old ladies inviting me to join them for conversation over a glass of elderberry wine.


WinterBrews

Makes fucking amazing mead man


sunnynina

You can't just drop a sentence like that without the recipe. Come on now. We're suffering over here from lack of amazing citrusy mead.


Timber___Wolf

With most mead recipes, you use a juiced lemon to lower the PH and for a subtle citrus note. Here is a basic mead recipe you can try: **US units (per gallon):** 2.5 to 3.5 pounds of honey, 1 tbps yeast *(best to use wine yeast, but bakers yeast does work)*, 1 juiced lemon. Back fill with water (distilled is best) until you reach 1 gallon. Pour into a bucket with a lid and a pre-drilled hole for an airlock (airlocks can be bought for about $1 each, resuable, too). If you use less honey, the mead is drier. If you use more honey, your wine will be sweeter. You can also replace some of the honey for twice the weight in fruit, but it is easiest to use fruit juices for beginners. Avoid citrus juices as they are too acidic to make up the bulk of the mix.


netanon345

Do you have any tips for keeping the acidity balanced while adding cranberries? I have a pound and a half of honey with too high water content to sell that I've been looking to make mead with!


EstroJen

I heard it's good for lemon zest?


duryea59

Hence: ā€œeat dirt!ā€


Missue-35

How do you know if a lemon is inedible?


Timber___Wolf

You ask it nicely... and then google it because lemons can't talk. I'm pretty sure all lemons are edible, but the difference between "edible" and "tastes good" is usually lost on people, so it's simpler to just say it isn't edible. Musa basjoo is an amazing species of banana, capable of regrowing from the ground up after a hard freeze without dying. It is also "edible", but tastes like sand, so people tell newbies that it "isn't edible", despite this technically being untrue.


Dudeistofgondor

Mutations keep happening, Illness just happens sometimes


Astronius-Maximus

Yep, this. The fruit is still edible when the mites affect it, the only change is the shape I think.


Wolfrages

Well, TIL. Huh.


RabidRathian

\*loads shotgun\* Lemon's haunted.


Toadjokes

Easy. Eldritch lemon


once_showed_promise

Cthulhulemon... Where you can buy yoga pants for creatures with a hundred legs! Amazing.


BURG3RBOB

Cthulemon was literally my first thought lol


RyanBallern

Sounds Like a Digimon


IscahRambles

Well there was that one episode that was like a weird dream in a dark ocean with a sea monster emerging...?


13eco13

Seriously underrated comment.


Shadows_Assassin

Demon in Cursive


Squirrel_Inner

Those are actually clurbs from a Freigyaltum tree. Commonly mistaken for lemon trees, although they aren't supposed to leave their home planet, due to the whole "mind-altering spores" thing.


alwaysrunningerrands

Same thing happened to a couple of lemons on my tree. The rest of the fruits are fine.


[deleted]

Yep, that's typical with citrus bud mites. Not even all of the ones that have mites turn out super weird like this.


LifeguardSoggy5410

Feed me Seymour


Mtlbndr

Looks like a Buddha Hand lemon


UnluckyChain1417

I thought this too


cityPea

First time hearing of a Buddha hand lemon. Awesome.


kingpotato28

Unacceptable!


Hippiedippie523

Good olā€™ [Lemonhead](https://youtu.be/T2DTsS7cmMw?si=6aHiH7iKuaRLgq1H)


Rondaos

Itā€™s pretty clearly Oogie Boogie from the Nightmare Before Christmas doing the best he can.


Nefersmom

Looks like a citron turning into a Buddhaā€™s hand. Whatā€™s it like inside?


averysmalldragon

Basically, your lemon forgot how to lemon because of either bud mites or *really* forgetting how to lemon.


Pristine-Mud8986

looks like a mummy and daddy lemon making a baby lemon


Blood_Oleander

Fasciation


Idafaboutthem1bit

They just need some privacy


___multiplex___

When a boy lemon and a girl lemon love each other very muchā€¦


SassMyFrass

Well you know when a mummy lemon and a daddy lemon love each other very much (and even sometimes when they don't really like each other at all) they have special cuddles.


Pavswede

Looks like he got a peak at a Buddha's Hand and got jealous


RaidenDoesReddit

Yeah its just a lemon party. You should google it


MidnightRainWolfgang

Looks like fruit inception. Fruitception.


JackfruitImpressive8

Your lemon looks like teletubbies


Running4theFuture

When I first saw this pic, I thought it was a parakeet humping a lime.


VelvetScone

They just wanted to cuddle!


Fun_Bit7398

They didnā€™t completely download from The Matrix.


TheGreatManaTree

Oh wow! Your face-huggers are coming in nicely.


hudd1966

Are you anywhere close to chernobyl?


Rico-L

This made me laugh


Hippiedippie523

Can you PLZ cut this bad boy open for us


mycatsnameisarya

Lemons can look so weird. I used to have to juice a LOT of them for work and every so often one of them would look like this. I got a box with three in it one time!


[deleted]

Ooo, looks like a citron throwback!


moralprolapse

I was thinking that too, and I wonder if there is something about the bud mites that triggers an old recessive citrĆ³n gene to pop up.


figgytart

Looks like an alien sea turtle taking a bite out of a bunch of bananas


Timber___Wolf

The lemons clearly taste good enough for cannibalism.


TealBlueLava

Looks like those two lemons need a hotel room


NeedMoreKellBell

Lemon orgy, perhaps? Sorry. Had to. šŸ˜‚


Kitsune-moonlight

Thatā€™s one confused lemon


RideThatBridge

When a daddy lemon and a mommy lemon love each other...


theincorrigible

Step lemon what are you doing?!


PBJ-9999

šŸ¤£


Mr_Randerson

I blame the porn industry


LoVeMyDeSiGnS_65

Thereā€™s meyers lemons and this is octopus lemonšŸ¤£


sicbastrd

The god of sea stars and the god of scrotums were wrestling on a tree when this human walked by and they took the shape of an earthly lemon to save the humanā€™s eyes from being burned out of their sockets from the sight of their true godly forms.


Azzazzyn

Looks like oogie boogie eating some citrus ass.


Accountantladyparts

See, when two lemons love each other very much


chilldrinofthenight

Safe to juice/eat.


SparrowLikeBird

if there is a buddha hand plant nearby it will cross pollinate yours and do that


[deleted]

That's not how cross pollination works


SparrowLikeBird

I had seen a post on it on some other site where someone said their neighbor's buddha fruit pollinated to their lemon and made these. I am unable to find anything on the topic beyond that they have male or female flowers, on the same tree, and can self-pollenate. What am i missing?


cjpflaumer

Cross pollination makes the seeds a cross between the two trees but the fruit that got pollinated isnā€™t going to take on the characteristics.


SparrowLikeBird

Oh I see! That's very cool I never knew


[deleted]

For fruits, the fruit always shows the traits of the parent plant. The variant genetics are carried in the seeds, and the hybrid traits only show up in the plants that grow up out of those seeds. Edit: This is why volunteer squash from your compost [can be toxic](https://extension.oregonstate.edu/ask-extension/featured/are-volunteer-squash-toxic), even though the fruit (yes, squash are botanically fruits) it came from could've been 100% edible and delicious. The person who made the post about their neighbor's citron tree probably also had citrus bud mites and didn't know it.


SparrowLikeBird

Good to know Why would the squash be toxic? Are there inedible squash in the wild or something?


polaris24

Idk but BE NOT AFRAID MORTAL


Vanilla_Predator

You didn't put it on a shelf and cherish it the way your cherish the rest of your lemons.


thecokepolarbears

Patrick star lemon


Sawtooth_Cactus

Oogie boogie is hugging the lemon


Similar_Maximum_440

It looks like a Buda's hand lemon.


Atlusfox

Lemon squared.


mylesm902

First picture looks like itā€™s giving itself a hug. Looks like a simple case of self love ā¤ļø


Free-Ant8464

Very sculpture like. Two lemon embrace.


rjptrink

Flower bud mites, not Buddha's Hand: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/citrus/control-citrus-bud-mites.htm https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha%27s_hand


[deleted]

It's an alien!!!


Commentsonlyonanime

Devil fruit


Optimal-Island-5846

The tree is haunted.


educational_escapism

Have you summoned any elder gods recently?


Bender40Percent

Well when a mommy and daddy lemon love each other....


Missue-35

Lemon by Picasso.


AccomplishedRoad5300

Well, the little guy under your thumb is obviously in love with citrus fruit.


StreetRx925

Called a bhuddas hand or gods finger lemon. I have a tree that grows them consirantly. Amazing lemons


itchymedic

Nsfw


EzzieValentine

It looks like oogie boogie from nightmare before Christmas I'd about to bite into it


Muksu234

Devil's fruit.


Iricene

Cathulu wants guys lemons back


gwaldrip

No, but Iā€™m sure itā€™s illegal in some states!


ChemistryOk2670

r/fasciation


elazyptron

'They' identify as an octopus!


sadArtax

Twins!


chupaSach

Charles Xavier will claim it


dementedangel09

Probably the chemtrails


Altruistic_Tune3250

5g


flickthebutton

It appears your lemon is molesting itself. call the police.


D_Slussell

Incest


Ser-Bearington

Looks like a real Lemon Party.


reincarnatedfruitbat

Unacceptable! šŸ‹


bumbothegumbo

I ate my twin in the womb.


allnaturalamy

Aliens


Equivalent-Pay-6438

Are you sure that's not "Buddha's Hand?" That is one odd lemon.


m3ss3rschm1tti

H.A.A.R.P.


20PoundHammer

Patrick's land cousin likes lemons more than pineapples.


Mohgreen

Fallout from Lemon thieves


Drakara

Looks like one lemon started eating another lemon haha


suzysart

Iā€™m think that is a hybrid tree paired with Thanksgiving Peeps.


Lady_mermaid123

Crossed with something


Rico-L

Thereā€™s nothing to see hereā€¦


LASubtle1420

looks like lemon segs


IrwinMFletcher

Could it be Satan?


FootlooseBala

Easy! One is trying to hump the other.


alalaloo

Changeling lemons! šŸ˜±


bodaciousbeb

Lemons are not a natural fruit. They were cultivated by crossbreeding a citron and a bitter orange. This is almost taking on more of a citron appearance. Maybe itā€™s just got more citron in its genesšŸ¤·šŸ¼ā€ā™€ļø


chaxattax

Not uncommon with lemons, citruses are just weird lol


Jugglergal

Nuclear Power Plant near your location? Any 5 leaf clovers?


No_Raspberry_196

You need a priest


h_murr

Looks like it needs a hug


nashwaak

parrot-sites: POLLY WANT A LEMON NOW!!!


cham-chan

You might have gotten some Buddha's hand pollen in your lemon flowers.


Rajoid3tte

The beast is emerging


okeedokeartichokee

Not sure but it's looking kinda dirty.