Although not native to Ohio, through plantings the Osage-Orange has become resident to most counties. Squirrels eat seeds from the fruit in winter. It develops irregular fissures and breaks into broad, scaly ridges. There are still some on farms in northern Illinois. Fencerows of Osage-orange trees can still be found on farms in Illinois. "Many modern bowyers (bow makers) still turn to Osage-orange to keep the tradition alive," wrote Robert J. Settich in Woodcraft magazine. They are thick, firm, dark green and pale green. Although not native to Ohio, through plantings the Osage-Orange has become resident to most counties. The tree also serves as a windbreak. Osage orange suckers freely and quickly forms an impenetrable barrier due to its vicious thorns which are particularly nasty on new shoots. The sharp spines that arm its twigs add to the tree's usefulness in making restraining, "natural" fences. The letter-opener has aged to a rich, dark color, whereas the fresh-cut wood block of Osage-orange wood is much lighter in color. The inner bark is bright orange. Osage Orange. Today, few animals eat these huge, sticky oddities. The Osage-orange tree is a botanical oddity today, the only living member of its genus. Despite the name "Osage orange", it is not related to the orange. Fruits and flowers produced by female trees pose a considerable litter problem. The buds are partly hidden in the bark and the terminal bud is absent. Resistance to rot was an important feature. All rights reserved. I envision wagon wheels and fence row, firewood and khaki fabric. Maclura pomifera, commonly known as the Osage orange, hedge, or hedge apple tree is a small deciduous tree or large shrub, typically growing to 8 to 15 metres (30–50 ft) tall. Osage Orange Fruit - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University, Site Requirements: Full sun; adaptable to most soil conditions, Leaves: Alternate, simple, with thorns or spines present, Seed Dispersal Dates: September - October, Seed Stratification: Prechill for one month at 34°F to 40°F. Squirrels may tear them apart and eat the seeds, but most of the "monkey brains" fall to the ground, decompose, and generally make a mess. Windbreaks. Easily grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. All cutting or girdling practices, without herbicide treatment, will result initially in the development of masses of vigorous sprouts which are extremely difficult and hazardous to … No serious insect or disease problems. Osage orange leaves are dark green and glossy on top, 3 to 5 inches long with smooth margins and alternate arrangement. The Osage orange is an easy-to-grow tree. Large Osage orange trees are resistant to fire and will need another control method such as girdling or cutting. In lieu of fences, thousands of miles of hedgerows were planted, with osage orange being a prominent inclusion. Osage Orange Bark - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University, Osage Orange Leaf - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University, Osage Orange Twig - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University, Osage Orange Flowers - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University, Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, ISU Extension and Outreach 339 Science II Caring for Osage Orange Trees. Copyright © 2020 Iowa State University of Science and Technology. Its volatile oils make it a strong, natural insecticide , and many of its compounds have also been shown to protect the body against many types of harmful organisms. Osage orange is dioecious (separate male and female trees), with non-showy greenish male and female flowers appearing in clusters on separate trees in June. Also tolerates poor soils, drought, heat, cold and wind. Osage-orange, for all its worth, is a tree of the ages. It is a medium-sized, spiny, deciduous tree that typically grows to 35-60’ tall with a broad rounded crown. Leaves turn yellow in fall. Native Americans of the Caddo and Osage Nations have crafted bows from the branches of the Osage-orange tree for many centuries. After the disastrous Dust Bowl in the 1930s, Osage-orange enjoyed a bit of a comeback, as green shelterbelts diminished soil erosion caused by ferocious prairie winds. The inner bark is bright orange. It's likely that the giant herbivores browsed on Osage-orange leaves and ate the fruit. The name "bodark" is still used today. Osage Orange Tree Bark: Osage Orange Tree Bark: Osage Orange Tree Bark: Osage Orange Tree Bark: Osage Orange Tree Bark They adapt well to most soil. You can plant it directly from the seed, and it would grow pretty quickly. As big as a grapefruit, the fruit evolved with large herbivores in the Ice Age. This tree often has been used in growing hedges and fencerows. Particularly effective for areas with poor soils where other woody plants may struggle. It flourished in the time when mastodons, sloths, and saber-toothed cats roamed the land. The luster, grain patterns, and rich color tones of Osage-orange wood are evident in this vase made by Arnie Bandstra of the Fox Valley Woodworkers. Explorer Meriwether Lewis reported to Thomas Jefferson in 1804 that the American Indians so "esteem the wood of this tree for the purpose of making their bows, that they travel many hundred miles in quest of it.". Fertilized flowers on female trees give way to inedible grapefruit-sized fruits (3-5” diameter) which are commonly called hedge apples. As settlers pushed westward toward the Mississippi River and beyond in the 1800s, fencing materials were quite expensive and in short supply. Many miles of Osage-orange hedges remained, however, and these proved to be important windbreaks and shelterbelts. The leaves are three to five inches long and about three-inches wide. Today's animals are disinterested in the globose fruit. • Valerie Blaine is a naturalist in Kane County. Osage orange is dioecious (separate male and female trees), with non-showy greenish male and female flowers appearing in clusters on separate trees in June. Maclura pomifera, commonly called osage orange, is native to river valleys and rich bottomlands in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana, but has been widely planted in a variety of environments throughout the United States, and has naturalized in many areas, particularly east of the Mississippi River. Osage Orange Bark - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University. The tree's reputation spread far and wide, and its wood became a valuable trade item. © 1997 - 2020 OPLIN & Ohio Historical Society, other fruit (not cone, winged, acorn, or in pod or capsule), seeds in capsules, packed in non-burlike balls. In Iowa the osage orange (Maclura pomifera) is a medium-sized tree, 50 to 60 feet in height, has been widely planted in hedges. When crushed, the pulpy fruit gives a bitter, milky juice. The fruits secrete a sticky white latex when cut or damaged. The bark of the roots is also a bright orange color and furnishes a yellow dye. French trappers named it bois d’arc, which was anglicized into the common name of bodark. Features orange-brown bark, ovate shiny dark green leaves, milky sap, thorny twigs and large wrinkled fruit. There's a lot of history in this species. When I see those monkey brains littering the ground, I imagine prehistoric mastodons feasting on the fruit, or Indigenous hunters wielding bows made of its wood. This file and hand plane, made by Arnie Bandstra of the Fox Valley Woodworkers Club, show the rich color of Osage-orange. Hedgerow usage began to wane in the 1870s, however, with the advent of barbed wire.Genus name honors American geologist William Maclure (1763-1840).Specific epithet comes from the Latin word for fruit and means fruit/pome-bearing. On older trunks it is orange-brown and deeply furrowed. The tree also serves as a windbreak. Ever since that field trip 30-some years ago, I've taken a keen interest in the tree with brains. Arnie Bandstra crafted this duck-handled letter opener, using Osage-orange. The bark on young twigs is green. The softball sized fruit evolved with these prehistoric herbivores in the Ice Age landscape. I was leading an outdoor school program, and it took me a moment to realize the students were referring to the big, lumpy fruit fallen from the trees lining the road. At the time of European contact, the bows made in the Red River Valley were superior to all others. In addition to its traditional use as a dye in Native American cultures, Osage-orange was also used to make khaki-colored uniforms in World War I. Osage-orange is not planted much anymore, and some consider it a nuisance.