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Q&A – What is this shrub that has shiny leaves, large thorns, and fruit that looks like a lime?

Question:
We have a shrub on our farm. It has shiny leaves, very sharp large thorns, and fruit that looks like a lime you’d buy in the store. What is it? Someone one told me that it is a wild lime bush.

Answer: 
This is trifoliate orange. Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison had a plant like this on his family farm in West Tennessee.  Trifoliate orange is often used as rootstalk in the citrus industry because it is very hardy. He thinks someone tried to grow an orange and the tree above the graft died, leaving this plant. Trifoliate orange is invasive and can create impenetrable hedges.

Related Resources:
Hardy Orange or Trifoliate Orange
Poncirus trifoliata
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  • Home
  • Watch
    • TV Schedule
    • Full Episodes Online
    • How-to and Informational
    • Questions and Answers
    • This Week in the Garden
    • Garden Notes
  • Garden Topic Collections
    • Apple Trees: How-to and Information
    • Peach Trees: How-to and Information
    • Tomatoes: How-to and Information
    • Square Foot Garden Blog
  • Resources
    • Soil Testing
    • Extension Publications
    • Gardening Resources
    • Blogs
    • Organic Gardening
    • Articles
    • Privacy
  • Guests
  • Contact Us
    • Ask a Gardening Gardening Question
  • Search