Lemon myrtle

Naming

Lemon myrtle was given the botanical name ''Backhousia citriodora'' in 1853 after the English botanist, James Backhouse.

The common name reflects the strong lemon smell of the crushed leaves. "Lemon scented myrtle" was the primary common name until the shortened trade name, "lemon myrtle", was created by the native foods industry to market the leaf for culinary use. Lemon myrtle is now the more common name for the plant and its products.

Lemon myrtle is sometimes confused with "lemon ironbark", which is ''Eucalyptus staigeriana''.

Evolution

* Pre-1788 – Aboriginal people use ''B.citriodora'' for medicine and flavouring.
⤷  1853 – Scientifically named ''Backhousia citriodora'' by botanist, Ferdinand von Mueller, with the genus named after friend, James Backhouse, quaker missionary and botanist.
⤷  1888 – Bertram isolates citral from ''B.citriodora'' oil, and Messrs. Schimmel & Co. de, Dresden, write about the essential oil as having “...probably a future.”
⤷  1900s–1920s – ''B.citriodora'' distilled on a small-scale commercial basis around Eumundi, Queensland.
⤷  1920s – Discovery of antimicrobial qualities of steam-distilled ''B.citriodora'' oil, by A.R. Penfold and R.Grant, Technological Museum, Sydney.
⤷  1940s – Tarax Co. use ''B.citriodora'' oil as a lemon flavouring during World War II.
⤷  1950s – Some production of oil carried out in the Maryborough and Miriam Vale areas from bush stands by JR Archibold, but the small industry falls into decline.
⤷  1989 – ''B.citriodora'' investigated as a potential leaf spice and commercial crop by Peter Hardwick, Wilderness Foods Pty Ltd. The company commissions Dr Ian Southwell, The Essential Oils Unit, Wollongbar Agricultural Institute, to analyse ''B.citriodora'' selections using gas chromatography.
⤷  1990 – Restaurants and food manufacturers supplied with dried ''B.citriodora'' leaf by Vic Cherikoff, Bush Tucker Supply Pty Ltd, produced by Russel and Sharon Costin, Limpinwood Gardens.
⤷  1991 – ''B.citriodora'' plantation established by Dennis Archer and Rosemary Cullen-Archer, Toona Essential Oils Pty Ltd, ; and subsequent commercial supply of plantation produced ''B.citriodora'' oil in 1993.
⤷  1997 – Large-scale plantations of ''B.citriodora'' established in north Queensland, by Australian Native Lemon Myrtle Ltd.
⤷  Late 1990s – ''B.citriodora'' begins to be supplied internationally for a range of flavouring, cosmetic and anti-microbial products. Agronomic production of ''B.citriodora'' starts to exceed demand.
⤷  2001 – Standards for Oil of ''B.citriodora'' established by The Essential Oils Unit, Wollongbar, and Standards Australia.
⤷  2004 – Monograph published on ''B.citriodora'' by Toona Essential Oils pty Ltd.
⤷  2010 – Lemon myrtle sells out in London after Jamie Oliver describes it as "pukka" on his TV show.

Uses

Indigenous Australians have long used lemon myrtle, both in cuisine and as a healing plant. The oil has the highest citral purity; typically higher than lemongrass. It is also considered to have a "cleaner and sweeter" aroma than comparable sources of citral–lemongrass and ''Litsea cubeba''.