Maclura pomifera- Osage Orange

[Kristl Walek]

I wanted to post this under "Flowers and Foliage Now"--as I feel that the wonderful fruits and seedpods are just as ornamental, in many cases, more-so, than the plants...

I am not sure how familiar the Osage Orange is to members here---but it's a fascinating small tree with a long history in North America. It's easiest for me to post the description from my web site:

"A picturesque, small tree, possessing strong form, texture, and character. Native to southeastern North America, growing in woods, fields, thickets and rich bottomlands. This species was historically planted as a field hedge, before barbed wire became available. It is a fast-growing, hardy, tolerant species with a round crown and short trunk. Bark is orange-brown, developing scaly ridges. The arching branches are covered with short thorns. Shiny, bright-green leaves. Very ornamental huge (15cm diameter) inedible fruits, resembling an orange, ripen from green to yellow in fall, often weighing more than a kilogram. Osage-orange heartwood is the most decay-resistant of all North American timbers and is immune to termites."

BUT WAIT TILL YOU SEE THIS FRUIT-----it's lumpy and bumpy and HUGE....some bigger than a large grapefruit....immensely interesting AND ORNAMENTAL and smells so wonderful as it continues to ripen in my office, awaiting cleaning. 10 to a dozen of the pomes are normally enough to supply my seed needs for the season.

Kristl

[Maggi Young]

Good grief! Never seen such a thing!    Thanks, Kristl .

[Anthony Darby]

Mmm! Wonder if we could grow it here in Scotland?

[Maggi Young]

Thinking the same thing here, Anthony! Not that I know where we would fit it in!

[Mick McLoughlin]

Named after a scotsman at least anthony
http://www.visitdunkeld.com/scottish-trivia-358.htm

[Maggi Young]

That's interesting, Mick... we Scots DO get everywhere, don't we?

[Kristl Walek]

and, from the Missouri Botanical Garden Web Site:

"Fertilized flowers on female trees give way to inedible grapefruit-sized fruits (3-5” diameter) which are commonly called hedge apples. The common name osage orange is primarily in reference to a combination of factors: (a) the original range of the plant overlaps in part the range of the Native American Osage Indian tribe and (b) the bark, wood and roots are orangish and the fruits somewhat resemble oranges in texture. It is not related to oranges, however, but is a member of the fig family. Each fruit is actually a dense cluster of hundreds of small fruits.

The wood is long-lasting, dense and tough. Native Americans used the wood for bows, hence the common name of bowwood. French trappers named it bois d’arc, which was anglicized into the common name of bodark. As settlers pushed westward toward the Mississippi River and beyond in the 1800s, fencing materials were quite expensive and in short supply. In lieu of fences, thousands of miles of hedgerows were planted, with osage orange being a prominent inclusion.

Hedgerow usage began to wane in the 1870s, however, with the advent of barbed wire. The genus name honors William Maclure, an 18th -19th century geologist. Problems:

The penultimate hedge row plant for property lines. Windbreaks. Particularly effective for areas with poor soils where other woody plants may struggle. "

[Maggi Young]

What an absolutely lovely trunk!
When time permits, Kristl, would you show us a photo of the inside of that fruit?

[Kristl Walek]

Maggi,
I actually did the first cut yesterday---just to see how the seeds looked---

Kristl

[Maggi Young]

Hmm, not quite what I was expecting.... though I'm not sure what I WAS expecting!
Almost wondered if all the nobbly bits led down to a seed but that doesn't seem to be the case... the seeds are all in the centre, in a figgy sort of fashion, is that right?

[Anthony Darby]

To have such dense timber it must be slow growing? I like wood and was dismayed when my wife changed our fire surround to limestone. The one we had was teak and had been made by a carpenter from some wood I had acquired. The uprights came from a windowsill in the old Graeme High School when they redid the windows above the old main door. They had been there since 1932. The mantlepiece is of 1966 vintage. I also have a rolling pin made of lignum vitae wood (Jamaica) which was usually used for bowling woods and ship propeller bearings. It sinks in water!

[Kristl Walek]

Maggi,
The seeds are arranged in beautiful circles inside--will take a better picture later...
Kristl

[Peter Korn, Sweden]

I have a plant in my rockgarden so it should be hardy in Scottland. It grows very slowly. I also have M. aurantiaca. Looking foreward to the fruits.

[Staale]

What a wonderful tree - and completely unknown to me. Thank you, Kristl. I will take notes for next years order from you  . Also glad to hear that Peter Korn can grow it in his garden, which means I will have a fair chance growing it over here too. It seems one needs several trees to be sure that both sexes are represented though.

[Kristl Walek]

Peter,
You have it in your rock garden?
Very interesting....

and yes, Staale, you need both sexes for fruit.

Hardiness should not be problem in most areas of Norway...

Kristl