My guess is that this is not a sucker but the hybrid tea. Fragrance and clustering (or not)are both variable. Also the normal rootstocks do not bloom on first-year growth.

What color are the blooms on the sucker???

Jeri

Wow! Thanks for the quick responses. jerijen, the blooms on both the original and the "sucker" are the same apricot color. Though I can't say they are exactly the same since the first flush of the tea roses are gone. michaelg, you are probably right but the sucker arises right at ground level and a couple or three inches below the 'gnarled mass' where all of the other canes arise. This new cane is super fat with big healthy leaves. The plant has been in place for at least 15 years. Perhaps the graft has sunk below the surface. I always assumed the graft was right below the 'gnarled mass'. I didn't prune the rose in Feb. as usual this year but the entire plant has been more vigorous this year than I can remember. (cold winter?)

Yup. I think Michael was right.
They DO tend to sink down over time -- and some roses will form a sort of secondary crown, above the original graft.

So you probably have a sucker from your original rose.

Jeri