Terry Collins writes:
Sounds like a bush lemon, well that is what I call it..
Basically, all the root stock of citrus trees sold are bush lemons with
the top being a graft of the desired citrus. Add a few different types
of graft and you have a citrus fruit salad.

They use the bush lemon as it is the best root stock, so either cut it
off and graft something else to it, or cut it out, unless you want to
grow it as a shelter tree for small birds,

Or fertilise, add manure and keep watered and you may be rewarded with a
crop of deliciously sweet fruit. It is a bit of a lottery, but some bush
lemons are good bearers. I grew some lemons from seed, the trees were
very good bearers, fruit were the conventional Lisbon shape and very juicy,
but the thorns made it mandatory that I use a hook on a stick for
harvesting hard to reach fruit. I'd be hesitant to do a mass snipping off
of many thorns as this probably opens up a lot of points for disease to
take hold.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)