The Peculiar Osage Orange

by Wendy Hamrick, Master Gardener, Class of 2017 · Published · Updated

The Osage orange (Maclura, pomifera), a member of the mulberry family (Moraceae), has proved to be both useful and ornamental in its rich history.  It was identified by an American geologist, of Scottish descent, named William Maclure (1763-1840), a successful merchant, who later in life distinguished himself as a geologist and cartographer. This native American tree was originally found in the dust bowl states, Oklahoma and Texas, as well as the northern tip of Louisiana, but has since become naturalized to most of the eastern United States.

In addition to being called Osage orange, it has also been referred to as Hedge Apple, Horse Apple, and Mock Orange.  The French settlers called it Bois d’Arc (bow wood) after they discovered the native American Osage tribe used the wood to fashion their superior bows. The wood was amazingly resilient.  It is also believed that the westward explorers, Lewis and Clark, were the first to send an Osage orange to Thomas Jefferson to adorn his magnificent garden at Monticello.

In addition to bows, the wood proved valuable to pioneers for making fence posts, railroad ties, and wagon wheels. It proved tremendously hard and resistant to decay. (Henrico Horticulture, Nov 16,2021). In fact, the wood has a bending strength (MOR) of 20,000 psi (Gene Wengert, Woodworking Network, Jan 18, 2016). Before the invention of barbed wire by Joseph Glidden in 1875 (www.invent.org), the Osage orange tree was planted in hedgerows to corral livestock, as well as create windbreaks as the settlers pushed West. When tightly planted, the spikey thorns and crossing branches are a great deterrent to errant cattle.

This sun-loving deciduous dioecious tree grows from 36 to 65 feet tall with a massive lateral arching canopy. The simple, alternating leaves are dark waxy green with a fuzzy underside and prominent veins and measure from two to five inches long.  In the Fall, the leaves become translucent and yellow.  Following wind pollination, the tree flowers from May to June. The male and female flowers are fringy and resemble pom-poms.

In September and October, the globular and peculiar-looking fruit appears, softball-sized and a knobby yellow-lime color.  They fall to the ground from their own weight (they can weigh from one to five pounds) and litter the earth beneath. Some people say the fruit looks like a green brain. One misplaced step on the fruit can send you slipping.  One might wonder why wildlife hasn’t made off with all these delectable-looking fruits, but the fact is only squirrels, a few rodents, and occasionally very hungry deer find the seedy pulpy balls irresistible.

The Osage orange grows in a variety of soil types. Its diffuse root structure makes it drought tolerant, which is why it was able to survive in the climate and soil of the Dust Bowl states.  The bark on the trunk is greatly furrowed and the arching limbs display a somewhat graceful shape despite its long thorny branches. In fact, the thorns have been described as impressive, even “monstrous” such that it is not surprising the hedgerows were a successful deterrent to ranging livestock.

Today, Osage orange wood is still used as an accent with other woods.  Around the holidays, creative decorators use preserved Osage oranges in wreaths, to adorn tablescapes and create stacked pyramids in urns.  Preservation of these nubby, chartreuse balls can be had by suspending them by their stem on a long string, untouched for several weeks (P. Haven, J. Hess, Ladue News, July 20, 2022).  Decorators have long valued the fruit so much that, if not available, they have resorted to creating a DIY concrete equivalent and painting it as a substitute (Etsy, Hedge Apple, Osage Orange, October 2021).

You can see an Osage orange tree very close to home.  A mature tree hedgerow currently grows at the Walkerton Tavern in Glen Allen.  You can visit the Tavern, museum, and grounds daily. Closer to home, Williamsburg has its own splendid Osage orange right behind the Williamsburg Regional Library on Armistead Avenue near the Blayton Building.  If visiting in September or October, be sure to bring your Smartphone and a basket.  It’s impossible to leave the area without taking pictures and gathering a few balls for the holidays.

Photos and story by Wendy Hamrick, Master Gardener, class of 2017

REFERENCES:

  • “Osage orange: The Wonder wood of the American Plains”, Harris, K, July 13, 2018, www.Historydaily.org
  • “How to Preserve Osage Orange”, Danielle Smyth, SFGate Newsletter, Nov 02, 2021
  • “Concrete Home Décor”, Hedge Apple, Osage Orange…www.store.engraveacrete.com
  • ”How to Preserve Hedge Apples for Display”, Nicholas Robbins, ,www.ehow.com
  • “Osage Orange”, Trees of North America, National Audubon Society p. 270
  • Joseph Glidden, Barbed Wire, www.invent.org
  • Osage Orange almost too pretty to use, G. Wengert, January 18, 2016, www.Woodworking Networking.com
  • “The Osage Orange: Useless or Useful?” Nov.8, 2019, extension.psu.edu
  • #TreeTuesday: Osage Orange I Henrico Horticulture, 2021/11/16 blogs, ext.vt.edu

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