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Just got this lemon tree but it doesnt look like a lemon tree?

joejoe_righttouch

13 years ago

Hey Everyone. My first post to this site! I own a landscape design company in central New Jersey. We have a customer that had this mushroom shaped tree in his front yard with huge thorns on it. I never knew what it was, but it was about 6' tall and 6' in diameter, with a single trunk about 5" thick. It looks like they kept shearing it every year and now it is shaped like a huge mushroom! One day I noticed lemons on it! Well that customer moved and a new one moved in, and he didnt want this tree anymore, so today I transplanted it to my shop. The problem is it is so thick from them shearing it from the outside every year that i dont know what to do. No pictures Ive found online show a tree like this. If you look through the center there are just hundreds of spiny little branches. Im not sure what to do with the tree. It produces alot of lemons though! If I can figure out how to post a picture I will. Anyone ever seen a lemon growing like this or is this a special kind of lemon tree???

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Comments (6)

User
13 years ago
The tree is the hardy orange (Poncirus) from north China. It is a citrus and frequently used in grafting with non-hardy citrus. The fruit is extremely bitter and acid but there are recipes on the Net for marmalade that you can make from the fruit. As you note, its thorns are wicked--which is why I grow it as a containerized plant but am reluctant to plant one in the ground as a big tree. I'm not sure what your question is though.
reversethong
13 years ago
Poncirus has very distinct trifoliate leaves that do not resemble Citrus in anyway.What do the leaves look like?
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i dont have a moisture meter, but 50% sounds too wet to water again, and letting it dry out completely will stress the tree and cause its leaves to drop off when you water again. it's a bit of a judgment call, depending on the mix, the weather, temps, etc. i would guesstimate for summer time, about 20% and winter time 10%. from the pics, the mix looks like it has good drainage. what type of bulb is in the lamp? an incandescent is no good as it converts most of the electricity into heat. a high wattage compact fluoresecent (CFL) will provide more light than heat per wattage. also, try to move it to a south window. coming from an outdoor nursery setting and into a house, if it doesnt get enough light, it will drop its leaves, like when people move their citrus indoors during the fall.
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They're fungus gnats. I think they're more a nuisance than a real problem. Not sure of best way to eliminate them. Somebody here on this forum probably has a relatively non-toxic remedy. I suspect spraying with horticultural oil, or Neem, will control them effectively without making your fruit toxic. The oil kills by suffocation, not poison. Just spray the soil surface thoroughly, and I think your problem will be over.
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Are the lemons of equal quality on all the stems? I see spines on one stem which implies that it is from a seedling and is maybe a rootstock. In that case that stem could outgrow the others. But if the fruit is the same on all stems why change it? It's only a matter of aesthetics.
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tsmith2579
13 years ago
Joe, I disagree with reversethong. The first time I ever saw a poncirus I knew it was in the citrus family. The leaves are smaller and arranged in threes but everything else is similar.

The fruit is full of seeds and very little pulp. During the Great Depression, many Southern farmers planted the poncirus in fence rows to make a natural "barbed wire" fence to keep the livestock corralled. Unless you use it as rootstock for fruiting citrus or as a natural fence, its only other use is ornamental.
User
13 years ago
I think they are fascinating trees--Poncirus. The first time I ever the tree was in Longwood Gardens in Pa.. They are hardy were I am but no one seems to grow them and I never see them being sold at garden centers. As I understand it, botanists classify them either as true Citrus or a very close relative. Their leaves remind me of the Kaffir lime (though the Ponciris has an additional third lobe). I As I said, I have mine containerized because I tread the thought of what I'd have to go through if I ever wanted it removed--those thorns are NASTY. Then again, I'd imagine they make for great security fences--and they're deer resistant I believe. Keep in mind though that the tree is deciduous.
cath41
13 years ago
Poncirus is not in the Citrus genus but is in the
Citrus family. Where is MalcomManners whhen you need him?
Cath
User
13 years ago
I think it depends on which botanist you ask. At least Wikipedia describes it as either in the Citrus family or even within the same genus, thus it is sometimes referred to as Poncirus trifoliata, or--syn. Citrus trifoliata).

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