Nursery-grown citrus plants generally consist of a desirable variety grafted onto a rootstock cultivar.
"The rootstock cultivar makes up the lower few inches of the trunk and the tree’s roots. The scion cultivar makes up the rest of the trunk and all the branches, leaves, and fruit. Rootstocks are selected for their improved disease and nematode resistance, tolerance to adverse soil conditions, nutrient uptake, cold hardiness, and favorable influence on the performance of the scion cultivar, including tree size (dwarfing effects), fruit quality (sugar-to-acid ratio, flavor, texture, size), and productivity (yield efficiency)."