What is this plant I bought from Jack and Jill?

[CarolinaZone]

I bought this thing on a whim but never got the name. Any idea what it is?

[Jaboticaba45]

looks like a citrus

[ScottR]

Yes, agree looks like trifoliate citrus of some kind.

[CarolinaZone]

I am pretty sure it's not a citrus. The flower looked like a white hibiscus flower. I was much bigger than a citrus flower.

[Galatians522]

Could it be Orange Jasmine?

[CarolinaZone]

I doubt it. The flowers looked very different and they weren't fragrant.

[HibachiDrama]

Are the leaves fragrant?

[Perplexed]

Might be a citrus trifoliata hybrid? Possibly citrus rootstock? Do you have any pictures of the flowers?

[CarolinaZone]

Are the leaves fragrant?

No they are not. The developing fruit doesn't look like any citrus I have seen.

[CarolinaZone]

Might be a citrus trifoliata hybrid? Possibly citrus rootstock? Do you have any pictures of the flowers?

The leaves don't smell like citrus leaves. I have some trifoliata rootstock. I'm sure it is not that and there is no graft.

[RS]

I plugged it into plant ID, and along with citron and hardy orange, got Bael or Bila (Aegle marmelos) as a possibility?

[Triphal]

Bael / Bilva most likely. Spines in the branches, trifoliate leaves, long stalk of the pollinated flower bud with the early fruit is that of Bilva / Bael. But the leaves when crushed have a pleasant aroma but not the citrus aroma. And the pale pink gorgeous flowers are aromatic. If so this plant / tree needs a real tropical environment. Triphal

[RS]

Is Bael tropical only? This site indicates cold hardy to 17 F / -8 C: https://www.growables.org/information/TropicalFruit/Bael.htm
Has anyone tried the fruit? Sounds interesting.

[Galatians522]

I doubt that it is a Bael. The leaves are too small. Bael tastes like grapefruit/banana to me with some funkyness thrown in the mix.

[CarolinaZone]

The flower was white. The leav s have little or no smell to me.

[Triphal]

Agree with you. The leaves color and the tree branching pattern is not characteristic of the Bael/Bilva tree but sometimes in young trees the leaves vary in size, color and pattern. A picture of a flower/s would have helped.
Interesting pointer by RS regarding the hardiness in subtropical. News to me. Thanks. Don't remember ever tasting the fruit and probably did not nor I have seen anyone trying to harvest the fruits for consuming. It is used for home remedies and some ancient Ayurvedic, Unani, Chinese medicines and other herbal medicines in Asia and Africa.
CarolinaZone : Just saw your posting about the white flowers. How many petals? Was there some aroma? The leaves may or may not have strong aroma when crushed. The fruit takes long time (7 months?) to ripen from this stage as seen in your picture. Thanks.

[CarolinaZone]

Agree with you. The leaves color and the tree branching pattern is not characteristic of the Bael/Bilva tree but sometimes in young trees the leaves vary in size, color and pattern. A picture of a flower/s would have helped.
Interesting pointer by RS regarding the hardiness in subtropical. News to me. Thanks. Don't remember ever tasting the fruit and probably did not nor I have seen anyone trying to harvest the fruits for consuming. It is used for home remedies and some ancient Ayurvedic, Unani, Chinese medicines and other herbal medicines in Asia and Africa.
CarolinaZone : Just saw your posting about the white flowers. How many petals? Was there some aroma? The leaves may or may not have strong aroma when crushed. The fruit takes long time (7 months?) to ripen from this stage as seen in your picture. Thanks.

I would say it had no petals.If hibiscus could be white that is what it looked like.

[Galatians522]

I have been leaning more toward something in the rubiaceae family looking at the spent flower. Did it look like this?

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardenia_cornuta&ved=2ahUKEwiLh-Pupu34AhVit4QIHXMYDekQFnoECEMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2ph0w6TIqK9R1qfBKapbUT

[CarolinaZone]

I have been leaning more toward something in the rubiaceae family looking at the spent flower. Did it look like this?

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardenia_cornuta&ved=2ahUKEwiLh-Pupu34AhVit4QIHXMYDekQFnoECEMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2ph0w6TIqK9R1qfBKapbUT

It didn't look like that. I have gardenias and tea bushes and they have different flowers. To be honest I would say that the flowes also reminded me a little of squash blossoms. I know I said hibiscus before but squash blossom would also be similiar. The flowers and the little "fruit" fell off when I didn't water the plant earlier this year so I think it may flower a third time if I remove the fruit now. I will let the fruit develop for another week before I decide whether or not to remove it.

[NateTheGreat]

Kinda looks like this: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/209957-Parmentiera-aculeata/browse_photos

[CarolinaZone]

I think that's it. Thanks guys. I will see what the fruit looks like as it gets bigger but I am 90% sure NateTheGreat has it.